KOTA KINABALU - Sabah political analysts have expressed fear that a swing can still happen after the puzzle over the chief minister has been solved.
Even as the Istana Negeri Sabah announced that a swearing-in ceremony will be held at 10.30am tomorrow, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), the winning camp from the state election held last Saturday, have yet to announce their pick for the post.
It has been more than 36 hours since Sabah has gone without a chief minister since the polls ended.
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today stressed that the party will not compromise over its choice of Datuk Seri Bung Mokhtar Radin as chief minister over Bersatu's Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor - the current favourite.
He said Umno had already given in twice to Bersatu in the choice of prime minister and Perak chief minister despite having had more seats.
To appease the impasse, two other names have been floated around - Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak from Umno and Bersatu state deputy president Datuk Masidi Manjun.
These gentlemen are seen as offering a compromise as they are tested and acceptable to either side.
Salleh is a former chief minister, while Masidi is a former state minister for environment and tourism.
The latter won his Karanaan state seat with 73.3% of the votes cast. He is well liked as a moderate Muslim and a popular figure among Sabahans.
Apart from the chief minister, other portfolios being negotiated are that of the state finance minister, natural resources minister and works minister. These are powerful positions that have access to hundreds of millions of ringgit for disbursement and development.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah political analyst Lee Kuok Tiung said political horse trading will continue even after the election.
But he said those trying to entice any of the GRS reps to cross sides will be disappointed.
The GRS alliance comprises Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Umno is the lead party in the BN coalition.
Elected reps cautious about being labelled ‘frogs’
"There's high awareness now on political frogs and no politician would want to be called a frog,” Lee said.
"In the case of PBS especially, they will not be crossing over. They have told me they would stay with Perikatan Nasional," he said.
PBS secretary general Datuk Jahid Jahim told The Vibes yesterday that Warisan has been trying to get its seven assemblymen to cross over, enticing the party with money and positions.
Lee meanwhile expressed hope that PBS will get better treatment from the other parties in the GRS alliance, saying PBS had given up many seats throughout the course of the Sabah elections.
For instance, PBS had withdrawn from Bingkor and Tambunan after clashing with Sabah Star in the two constituencies.
Meanwhile, UiTM senior lecturer Tony Paridi Bagang also shared the same sentiment, saying the situation remains fluid until the swearing-in begins.
"Looking at the current scenario,there is a high possibility that horse trading will happen,” he told The Vibes. “There is always a possibility that the swing could happen."
GRS captured the state election after garnering 38 seats against Warisan Plus’ 32.
Three independent elected reps from Sugut, Kuamut and Pitas have since shown their allegiance to GRS.
The Warisan camp meanwhile has been very coy with journalists spewing speculations that frenzied horse trading is going on behind the scenes.
In the 14th General Election, Upko switched sides, abandoning the BN coalition to form the Warisan-PH-Upko state government. - The Vibes, September 28, 2020.
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