Jeffrey Kitingan, the next Sabah CM?
Tony ThienPublished: Feb 13, 2001 5:53 AM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
In a land where her people of diverse ethnic origins and beliefs are known for being brazen when it comes to politics, Sabah Umno is currently working overtime to drum up support for the scrapping of the rotation system of the state's chief minister post. That of course will allow Umno's Osu Sukam (picture, below) to continue as chief minister beyond March this year.
In a land where her people of diverse ethnic origins and beliefs are known for being brazen when it comes to politics, Sabah Umno is currently working overtime to drum up support for the scrapping of the rotation system of the state's chief minister post. That of course will allow Umno's Osu Sukam (picture, below) to continue as chief minister beyond March this year.
If, after consulting leaders of the various Sabah Barisan Nasional component parties representing Muslim bumiputra, Chinese and non-Muslim bumiputra groups, the majority is of the view that the rotation system suggested by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1994 be maintained, then Osu will have to leave office and hand over to a non-Muslim bumiputra - a Kadazandusun Christian - by the middle of next month.
The rotation system idea was mooted to give each of the three major communities in the state a two-year stint to head the state government. It started with a Muslim bumiputra (Salleh Keruak), then a Chinese (Yong Teck Lee) and next a non-Muslim bumiputra (Bernard Dompok). After Osu, the next holder of the post will be a non-Muslim bumiputra or Kadazandusun.
Even within the non-Muslim bumiputra political groups in the state BN, there are two groups vying for the right to nominate the next chief minister - Joseph Kurup's PBRS and Bernard Dompok's Upko (formerly known as PDS).
It would look like the next turn would go to PBRS, but its president, Joseph Kurup, lost his seat in the last state elections. Nevertheless, his party has seven state assembly members against Upko's two. This would make former Sabah chief minister and opposition Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) leader Joseph Pairin Kitingan's highly-controversial brother Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (picture, left) likely to be the next chief minister.
Political brothers
After all, it is largely due to Jeffrey's efforts that Kurup's party has been able to increase its number in the state assembly, thanks to several defections from PBS. The talk is that elder brother Pairin has allowed this, believing that it will help to protect and promote the Kadazandusun cause if one of them becomes the next chief executive after Osu.
"Blood is still thicker than water," was how one keen political observer put it to malaysiakini. Pairin knows only too well that while he remains a highly respected politician and the leader of his community in Sabah, his chances of coming back to politics as chief minister is not getting any better.
"In fact, he knows because of the changing political equation and federal politics, he stands little chance of making a comeback to the centrestage of Sabah politics," the same observer said, noting that Pairin would probably be more than happy if brother Jeffrey takes over as the state's next chief executive.
However, within the Sabah BN, there are moves to try to prevent this from happening.
Before leaving for Kuala Lumpur after a two-day visit to Sabah, Mahathir had said he would be seeking the views of all the component parties within the Sabah BN in separate meetings before deciding on the rotation system.
He indicated that he would make the decision before the expiry of the present chief minister's two-year term next month.
Meanwhile, moves are already underway by Umno members associated with the party's Keningau branch (the same people who tried to get Salleh Keruak's term extended) to get as many signatures as possible to support their proposal for the scrapping of the rotation system.
All Umno's 20 divisions in Sabah are in favour of the proposal.
Leave it to Mahathir
On the other hand, leaders of the other component parties including Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp), PBRS, Upko and MCA have said they would leave it to the prime minister, who mooted the idea of rotating the post in the first place, to make the final decision.
Mahathir has now thrown the ball back at their feet, and although he has already met Sabah Umno leaders more than once and knows their views, he now wants to hear the rest of Sabah BN out. He probably already knows their views, and probably has already decided on it, but would like Osu to serve out his full two-year term before announcing his decision. In addition, Mahathir would probably also want to hear from his colleagues in Umno in Kuala Lumpur.
The rotation system is one factor that has kept a rather unwielding bunch of politicians from various parties together in Sabah for the last six years.
In a state that has seen a spate of tumultuous political developments over the past decades, Mahathir probably thinks it is better to keep the rotation system going instead of seeing Sabah BN component parties going their separate ways. A return to open factionalism within Sabah's ruling clique will not augur well for Mahathir since he needs as much support as possible at the federal level, and to keep Joseph Pairin Kitingan out of power politics in Sabah forever.
TONY THIEN is a freelance journalist based in Kuching.
If, after consulting leaders of the various Sabah Barisan Nasional component parties representing Muslim bumiputra, Chinese and non-Muslim bumiputra groups, the majority is of the view that the rotation system suggested by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1994 be maintained, then Osu will have to leave office and hand over to a non-Muslim bumiputra - a Kadazandusun Christian - by the middle of next month.
The rotation system idea was mooted to give each of the three major communities in the state a two-year stint to head the state government. It started with a Muslim bumiputra (Salleh Keruak), then a Chinese (Yong Teck Lee) and next a non-Muslim bumiputra (Bernard Dompok). After Osu, the next holder of the post will be a non-Muslim bumiputra or Kadazandusun.
Even within the non-Muslim bumiputra political groups in the state BN, there are two groups vying for the right to nominate the next chief minister - Joseph Kurup's PBRS and Bernard Dompok's Upko (formerly known as PDS).
It would look like the next turn would go to PBRS, but its president, Joseph Kurup, lost his seat in the last state elections. Nevertheless, his party has seven state assembly members against Upko's two. This would make former Sabah chief minister and opposition Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) leader Joseph Pairin Kitingan's highly-controversial brother Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (picture, left) likely to be the next chief minister.
Political brothers
After all, it is largely due to Jeffrey's efforts that Kurup's party has been able to increase its number in the state assembly, thanks to several defections from PBS. The talk is that elder brother Pairin has allowed this, believing that it will help to protect and promote the Kadazandusun cause if one of them becomes the next chief executive after Osu.
"Blood is still thicker than water," was how one keen political observer put it to malaysiakini. Pairin knows only too well that while he remains a highly respected politician and the leader of his community in Sabah, his chances of coming back to politics as chief minister is not getting any better.
"In fact, he knows because of the changing political equation and federal politics, he stands little chance of making a comeback to the centrestage of Sabah politics," the same observer said, noting that Pairin would probably be more than happy if brother Jeffrey takes over as the state's next chief executive.
However, within the Sabah BN, there are moves to try to prevent this from happening.
Before leaving for Kuala Lumpur after a two-day visit to Sabah, Mahathir had said he would be seeking the views of all the component parties within the Sabah BN in separate meetings before deciding on the rotation system.
He indicated that he would make the decision before the expiry of the present chief minister's two-year term next month.
Meanwhile, moves are already underway by Umno members associated with the party's Keningau branch (the same people who tried to get Salleh Keruak's term extended) to get as many signatures as possible to support their proposal for the scrapping of the rotation system.
All Umno's 20 divisions in Sabah are in favour of the proposal.
Leave it to Mahathir
On the other hand, leaders of the other component parties including Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp), PBRS, Upko and MCA have said they would leave it to the prime minister, who mooted the idea of rotating the post in the first place, to make the final decision.
Mahathir has now thrown the ball back at their feet, and although he has already met Sabah Umno leaders more than once and knows their views, he now wants to hear the rest of Sabah BN out. He probably already knows their views, and probably has already decided on it, but would like Osu to serve out his full two-year term before announcing his decision. In addition, Mahathir would probably also want to hear from his colleagues in Umno in Kuala Lumpur.
The rotation system is one factor that has kept a rather unwielding bunch of politicians from various parties together in Sabah for the last six years.
In a state that has seen a spate of tumultuous political developments over the past decades, Mahathir probably thinks it is better to keep the rotation system going instead of seeing Sabah BN component parties going their separate ways. A return to open factionalism within Sabah's ruling clique will not augur well for Mahathir since he needs as much support as possible at the federal level, and to keep Joseph Pairin Kitingan out of power politics in Sabah forever.
TONY THIEN is a freelance journalist based in Kuching.
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