Sabahputra seems to think that there is a challenger to Umno/BN in Sabah in the next polls.

However I as a Sabahan do not think any opposition that pops up to challenge BN in Sabah now is a potentially formidable foe of the ruling coalition.

The reason, Umno Sabah of today is but the recycled material of the defunct Usno and Berjaya, while the potential challenger, Setia/Bersatu, is made of the same stuff. Most if not all people in Umno Sabah and its potential challenger are creatures of the retired strongman Harris Salleh (such as Musa Aman and Mohd Noor Mansoor), or the late Mustapha Harun (such as Nasir Sakaran, Osu Sukam and Shafie Afdal).

Thus Sabahans may not necessarily reject Umno in the coming elections. They have no choice. The opposition is also led by the same elements as Umno. True, Sabahans may grumble about Umno. But at the end of the day, they wake up to reality (that all challengers of Umno now are from the same bunch of bananas as Umno).

For the first time in history, since Mustapha Harun's chief ministership from 1967-75, Sabah is a one-party state. This is largely the result of PBS' party-hoppers who chose to join BN for the comfort and wealth that comes with selling out their struggle.

The only way the Sabahans can topple the Umno/BN is by starting to get politically conscious and forming a genuine multi-racial Sabahan party not associated with any Tom, Dick and Harry from the old parties. It will take time, effort and discipline, but it is not impossible.

Finally, the term "Malay" in Sabah (and for that matter Sarawak) refers not to immigrants from Malaya but to the indigenous Bruneians whose forefathers ruled Sabah. A great many Umno politicians are Bruneians, and Bajaus who do not consider themselves "Malay".