SABAH Pakatan Harapan (PH) is unable to choose between Barisan Nasional (BN) or Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) for an ally in the 2025 state elections as its component party PKR grapples with a leadership crisis in the state.
Sabah PH chairman Datuk Christina Liew considers the Sabah PKR leadership crisis to be a more pressing problem for the alliance than an electoral partner in the state known as Malaysia's political wild east.
“I think we will wait until the state government dissolves the assembly. However, from what I heard from the (state) government, they intend to hold onto power until (the present government term ends in) October 2025,” said Liew, who is Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister, in Kota Kinabalu.
Liew's comment came amid speculation over whether Sabah PH would work with GRS or BN in the state elections.
While all three political coalitions are partners at the federal level, the same thing cannot be said in Sabah.
Sabah BN withdrew from GRS in early last year, and its chairman, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has dismissed rejoining forces with it in the next elections.
BN and GRS were partners in the 2020 Sabah state elections.
However, the partnership dissolved after Bersatu members, spearheaded by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, departed from the party.
They subsequently assumed control of state party, Gagasan Rakyat.
Liew said the Sabah PKR leadership crisis is expected to be resolved when the party president cum Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim visits Sabah later this month. Sabah PKR, which has seven seats in the 79-seat state legislature, is now in its second leadership crisis since the state polls in 2020.
She said Anwar is expected to attend the national-level Hari Raya Open House celebrations in town on April 20 after the state-level open house on April 14.
“Maybe he will name the new state chairman then,” said Liew.
Sabah PKR is presently in crisis when 15 Sabah PKR divisional leaders have called for the resignation of its chairman Datuk Sangkar Rasam.
A PKR political bureau meeting recently decided that Sangkar would remain as the state chairman until Anwar makes a final decision after consulting all 26 divisional chiefs in Sabah.
But Liew downplayed the crisis, saying she had witnessed various leadership changes and exodus leaders in her 22 years with PKR.
She noted that she had also been abandoned by all the divisional chiefs during her time as the state chairman. Liew held the position from 2016 until 2022 until she was replaced by Sangkar.
“This is not unusual. Actually, this is quite common. Not just PKR, other parties also went through the same problems. However, this matter is not easy. It takes a lot of patience.
"But I am very sure the party president will be able to resolve this problem,” said Liew as she expressed confidence Sabah PH will get back on track again once Anwar ends the crisis. – The Vibes, April 3, 2024
