Past rivalry will dog Umno-Warisan pact, says analyst

 

Sabah’s political landscape has been described as ‘fragmented’, leading to combinations and permutations of party alliances. (Wikipedia pic)

PETALING JAYA: An analyst says the potential alliance between Umno and Warisan would benefit both parties but warns that convincing their grassroots might be an uphill task due to their history of rivalry.

Lee Kuok Tiung said the long-standing rivalry between Umno and Warisan would be a major obstacle to any collaboration for the state election in Sabah.

“Warisan started on the back of local party sentiments, and Umno was its main rival in 2018 for the Muslim-majority seats.

“With the help of Pakatan Harapan, they managed to surprise everyone by tying with Barisan Nasional (BN) at 29 seats.

“In the 2020 state election, their main opponent was also BN, particularly Umno, as it was also in the Kimanis by-election held in January 2020,” Lee, of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, told FMT.

He warned that Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin might also struggle to unite his party ahead of the election after the failed attempt to oust Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor in January.

“Efforts earlier this year saw Sabah Umno split into two factions: those who agreed (with the coup) and those who did not.

“So the main question is: what do we do with the faction that refused to follow the ‘Kinabalu Move’?” he said, adding that the problem lay with those still “suspended” from the party.

In January, FMT reported that Bung and Warisan president Shafie Apdal had spearheaded an attempted coup that crumbled after six Sabah Umno assemblymen withheld their support.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said Sabah’s political landscape was fragmented, leading to combinations and permutations of party alliances.

“What is important is not to sabotage one another. If they (Umno-Warisan) can do that, it is already a miracle,” he said.

Oh added that as both parties would like to win as many seats as possible, if their combined seats reached a simple majority, the party with more seats would likely dictate.

On Dec 14, Shafie, a former Sabah chief minister, said Bung had agreed to an alliance to take on Hajiji’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.

However, this was later denied by Sabah Umno deputy chief Rahman Dahlan, who said the state chapter had yet to decide on partnering with any party for the polls.

The term of the current Sabah government will expire in October 2025. However, Hajiji has hinted at the possibility of the next state election being held as early as next year. - FMT