Discordant note as opposition eyes Pensiangan

Opposition leaders are torn between supporting the Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) which aims to be the local party of choice and peninsula-based PKR, in the looming by-election for the Pensiangan parliamentary seat.

The Federal Court, which meets on Jan 7, is widely expected to uphold the Kota Kinabalu High Court’s decision on Sept 8 to declare the election result null and void.

Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Joseph Kurup (left) won uncontested on nomination day on Feb 24.

PKR’s Danny Anthony Andipai had his candidacy rejected after he submitted his nomination papers “three minutes” after the 10am deadline.

Sapp chief Yong Teck Lee had announced last weekend that his party would contest the by-election if it is held. Local party leaders want him to contest the seat, but he has played that card close to his chest.

In September, Yong (right) had pulled Sapp out of Barisan Nasional (BN), citing no confidence in the federal leadership and a long list of unresolved grievances in the Sabah. However, it is understood that he has also been seeking a seat for himself for a long time.

If there is unanimity in Sapp over the choice of candidate, it is the reverse in PKR. Vice-president Jeffrey Gimpoi Kitingan’s supporters declared his interest in the seat over the objections of Andipai, who apparently has the support of other PKR leaders, as well as DAP and PAS.

“PKR state chief Ansari Abdullah is not the only one to favour Andipai as the candidate,” claimed Tuaran division secretary Jumin Jeffrey Masuling.

“Other parties in the Pakatan Rakyat would not deny Andipai the chance to contest should he be selected as the candidate. It is obviously due to him that the seat fell vacant.

“Yet there are some who dare to claim that they have a right to contest although they did not even bother to show up to support him during the court hearing. They have no respect for Andipai and the people who worked hard with him to earn justice.”

'Need to work together'

Masuling’s comments are the clearest in public so far that patience is wearing thin among Andipai’s supporters over Jeffrey’s purported interest in the seat.

Jeffrey (left) himself is not saying anything and has focused his attentions on Sarawak, the declared next battleground for Pakatan.

“In the next few months, as vice-president, I will be busy going in and out of Sarawak to help in the build-up of the party’s support there. The feeling in the state is upbeat with a lot of optimism in the air,” he said.

“The massive turnout of 5,000 new members in Miri last Sunday signals that the people of Sarawak are hungry for change. This is an indication of increased support for PKR.”

The entry of Sapp into the by-election picture has clearly added a new and uncertain dimension in the political equation, all the more so if Yong decides to contest.

Ansari sees “the small opposition pond” in Sabah as being clouded with the entry of Sapp, saying this “this will complicate matters”.

“Whether we are PR Plus or PR Minus, all members of the opposition must come together and think. Come to an agreement and consensus because there’s no alternative if we want Sabah to be better than what it is. All of us will have to join hands to make it happen,” he said.

“We have to look back (at the general election on March 8) to identify our strengths and weaknesses. We have to give due acknowledgement to the strength of each component party in Pakatan.

“Because of logistical difficulties, we have to start now to identify areas of co-operation and narrow down our differences. If we wait until the last moment, we will be wasting time and resources.”

Kurup has virtually camped out in Pensiangan since Sept 8, handing out zinc sheets and other “development aid” as federal deputy minister of rural and regional development.

This has led to accusations that he has not only been neglecting his duties in Kuala Lumpur but indulging in “electoral fraud by bribing the voters in Pensiangan with public money”.

PBRS information chief Taulani Ismail came to Kurup’s defence, saying the latter is obliged to carry out his responsibilities as Pensiangan MP and deputy minister until the Federal Court rules otherwise.

“There is nothing wrong or irregular about Kurup carrying out his responsibilities entrusted by the government to eradicate poverty in the rural areas,” said Taulani.

“Some people don’t seem to understand the administrative procedures and the laws of the country as well as the constitution.”