Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman is the man to frustration for his allies and foes but his place is unshakeable.
The bickering between Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) and its small partner Liberal Demoractic Party (LDP) is not probably to end any time soon. In fact, the row is getting worse.
Lately, the LDP, once helmed by Chong Kah Kiat, a former Sabah chief minister, is becoming bolder and more strindent in its critique of the BN, especially Chief Minister Musa Aman.
Everything that Musa does is subject to LDP attacks. In the process, the company is being increasingly separated from the Sabah BN, which is quickly turning into an Umno-PBS dominated arrangement.
Musa`s strongest critic is LDP deputy president, Chin Su Phin. By now Chin is no longer a welcome figure in BN circles, especially at Musa`s and Umno functions. Observers said that Chin has openly been rebuked by Umno leaders at such events.
While LDP president VK Liew, a federal deputy minister, may not fit that his party`s relationship with BN is strained, it is understood he is stressful to bring it depressed for his own political survival.
Political analysts said the man behind the attacks on LDP is Chong Kah Kiat. His tiff with Musa became public while he was a pastor in Musa`s cabinet.
He went ballistic when his project, the "Mazu", the statue of a sea goddess in Kudat, was halted by Musa for its propinquity to a mosque there. That was in 2006. Chong had since left politics. He resigned in April 2007 in protest against Musa`s action.
LDP was too upset when Musa appointed mostly Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Chinese
leaders to political posts that were previously held by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).
Common enemy
SAPP left BN soon afterwards the 2008 general election in protest against Musa`s hand in BN`s decision not to field SAPP president Yong Teck Lee in that polls. So, LDP and SAPP now hold a mutual "enemy" in Musa.
Chin and other LDP leaders openly criticised Musa for preferring PBS to LDP, which traditionally represented the Chinese. They were also hoping that with SAPP out of the picture, LDP would stand to benefit.
Recently, Musa got the LDP all riled out when he picked a new second deputy chief minister to replace Peter Pang (who left LDP for Gerakan). Musa went for PBS deputy president, Dr Yee Moh Chai, over LDP to be the Chinese community in his Cabinet.
LDP could not endure this option because PBS, through its president Joseph Pairin Kitingan,
already holds the former deputy chief minister`s post. LDP leaders openly complained that there is a game to insulate the party, which was formed in 1989. It joined BN in 1991.
They also accused Musa of not appreciating the party`s contribution during elections including the recent one in Batu Sapi which was successfully maintained by a PBS candidate.
However, Musa yesterday brushed aside LDP criticisms, saying: "I would not be dragged into petty squabbling. I possess more important tasks to do - delivering developments to the people."
Some weeks ago, Musa said he had no trouble with LDP (the party). Many local analysts interpreted the note to imply that Musa was singing that certain leaders in LDP are the problem, and not the party.
Now observers are wondering how far LDP leaders would go to ransom themselves in the homage of the powerful Musa. If they stay put with BN under Musa, they will give to accept their pride and be content with the discourse they are getting now.
Tiny party
The office is simple: LDP is only a tiny company with just one MP (Liew) and one assemblyman (after two others left it for Gerakan). Many believed that LDP, unlike PBS or even SAPP, has no grassroots support good enough to get a major transformation of correspondence to Sabah BN.
"Even Liew, a Sino-Dusun from Kota Belud, won in Sandakan with a slight majority in 2008. And Sandakan is where Musa has a big following. If Liew were to travel to the Kudat parliamentary seatin the following election, even Musa would not be capable to guarantee Liew would win," said an analyst.
"Besides, LDP is always quarrelling with local Umno leaders in Kudat," he said.
"LDP secretary-general Teo Chee Kang (the assemblyman for Tanjung Kapur in Kudat) may also see it hard to be renominated as the region is considered a Muslim mixed constituency," he added.
Teo was anointed by LDP to replace Raymond Tan who was dropped as deputy chief minister not so long ago. But Musa again flexed his muscle by appointing LDP`s Pang instead. It was like a slap on the faces of Liew and Chin, and this explains the bad blood between Umno and LDP.
Another reason for fear in the Sabah political view is LDP`s perceived "connection" with the opposition SAPP. Chong and Yong who could not see eye-to-eye in late days were said to have met and talked about government and Chinese community issues at some functions lately.
Only time will state whether this warming up of kinship between LDP and SAPP would take a substantial affect on Sabah politics. And metre is working out for LDP and SAPP as the general election could be held anytime now.
Then there is Upko (United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation), a Kadazandusun-based company which had likewise been intermittently critical of the Umno leadership, especially with regard to power-sharing.
Though not as highly critical as LDP, Upko is seen as another possible detractor of Musa, come the general election, according to observers
Political minnows
MCA and Gerakan are just minnows in Sabah. PBRS (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah) faces certain annihilation in the forthcoming general election as its rural supporters are still wait for the company to have on its promises of development.
MCA won its single-allotted seat in Kepayan through default rather than design when Edward Khoo gained much less than the combined votes of the enemy there in 2008.
Gerakan, although bolstered with former LDP and SAPP leaders joining its ranks, is too discouraged to be a credible threat to Musa, said analysts.
Observers believed that Musa will put more PBS candidates in the following general election, including in one or two areas previously held by SAPP like in Likas, Luyang, Tawau, Elopura and Karamunting.
Most observers agreed that PBS has been the most calm and trusted partner of Umno in Sabah. They said Musa has acknowlegded this, and therefore his heavy list towards the PBS.
Thus, Liew, Chin and other LDP leaders must have do to the end that their political future will remain bleak as tenacious as Musa is around.
In Sabah BN, Musa is the man to defeat, but he is too powerful right now. The only other man who could ruffle a few feathers in the nation is Shafie Apdal but he is aforesaid to be loath to rock the boat for dread of losing his office in the union Cabinet.
Analysts believed there is no way that leaders like Shafie, who is an elected vice-president of Umno, would be tempted to provide a strengthened BN. Only leaders from LDP and Upko would harbour such a move (leaving the coalition) for reasons best known to them, they said.
State Legislative Assembly Speaker, Salleh Said, who is Musa`s deputy in the state Umno liaison committee, has openly supported Musa (and was duly rewarded with the Speaker`s post). Thus it is difficult to see a sudden exchange of leaders at the helm of Sabah Umno.
As a result, LDP has no allies to outmaneouvre Musa unless it leaves the coalition. LDP can only bark.
In the following few months, LDP, Upko and Umno will be assessing their respective position in the coalition. Only time will state whether they can keep the heart of camaraderie.
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