KOTA KINABALU – A PKR-held federal constituency here, which is largely made up of poor families, may fall back into the hands of Barisan Nasional (BN) as economic challenges remain unresolved while the 15th general election (GE15) approaches.
Putatan is a seat carved out of Penampang and Tg Aru, and was first contested in the 2004 general election. Upko, which was then a BN component party, held on to the seat for three terms through then member Datuk Marcus Mojigoh.
It fell to PKR’s Awang Husaini Sahari in 2018 when he garnered 14,106 votes against Mojigoh’s 11,767, a 2,339-vote majority.
Now with Upko having joined the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition last year, the swing constituency could very well be another battleground come GE15.
Handout culture
Stall operator Azim Nordin said he is expecting BN to make a strong comeback, especially through Umno, following the departure of Upko from BN.
The local folk don’t really care about politics, they are only excited when an election is near. This is largely due to the political culture of giving handouts, where many locals find it hard to say no. I believe such a culture was rampant during BN’s reign.”
He said many families earn below RM1,400 monthly and their reliance on handouts, whether in the form of cash or basic necessities, seems to be one of the ways for them to get by.
B40 families make up about 17% and 50% of the 60,000 population here, he added.
Where are the jobs?
NGO worker Julia Suda however said the swing back to BN may not happen as there were not many jobs in Putatan even during BN’s time in power.
Although commercial development has flourished in the district since six years ago, it was linked to the Pan Borneo Highway project.
She said Putatan is largely seen as a pit stop for travellers from the south wanting to go to the city and the east coast, and not a major commercial township.
“The only jobs available are mainly in supermarkets, hotels, and workshops, which don’t pay much as they are small businesses.
“Traditionally, Putatan was a traditional fishing village, but the bulk of the communities work in the public sector in Kota Kinabalu city.
Many prefer to travel to Kota Kinabalu and Penampang for work that pays them better.”
Julia said this would not be the case if sound development policies were in place, adding that BN did little to develop the district.
“Putatan has no hospitals, only a health clinic in Pasir Putih. We are also without a proper police station. The one we have right now, is a house near the town.
“So, what kind of development has BN done here?”
The battle for Putatan
Based on current political developments, Putatan is set to see a multi-cornered fight.
Following Upko’s move to join PH, negotiations would have to be made with PKR’s incumbent MP if the local party wants to fight for the seat.
As for the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-BN alliance, Sabah Star and Umno could have to negotiate to contest Putatan.
Sabah Star, a component of the ruling alliance, has made no secret of its interest in contesting the seat.
In 2020, the party opened up a secretariat in the district, with party president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan expressing his intention to contest the Muslim-majority seat.
This could pave the way for former Putatan MP Mojigoh, who joined Sabah Star after leaving Upko, to make a political comeback in GE15.
But according to locals, Umno also stands a chance of recapturing the seat given its influence among local Muslim voters.
Umno has also made it clear it will not work with Bersatu in GE15. Sabah Star is an ally of Bersatu in Perikatan Nasional and GRS in Sabah.
It has also been reported that Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin is discussing with party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi whether the party should align with GRS for the upcoming nationwide polls.
Not to be forgotten is Warisan, which sources told The Vibes may field a candidate as it is not part of PH. This could pose a challenge to Umno and PKR in influencing Muslim Bumiputera voters.
It could also pose a problem to incumbent Awang Husaini, who relied on Warisan’s election machinery in 2018, according to sources. His brother Awang Ahmad Sah is the Petagas assemblyman and a Warisan member.
Petagas is one of three state seats in Putatan. The other two are Tg Aru and Tg Keramat.
The source also noted grassroots support of Awang Husaini seems to be waning, largely due to his personality rather than party allegiance.
Petagas the kingmaker
Putatan voters believe Petagas holds the key to winning the parliamentary seat. While Umno views the Lok Kawi army camp in Tg Keramat as a fixed deposit, Tg Aru is considered a winner for Warisan.
Retired government servant Marzuki Saiman said he believes the two fixed-deposit constituencies would cancel each other out, leaving Petagas as the kingmaker.
Marzuki said he noticed Umno man Datuk Shahelmey Yahya’s victory in Tg Keramat in the 2020 state election was due to voters from the Lok Kawi camp.
It was the same for Warisan’s Tg Aru assemblyman Datuk Junz Wong, who had voters from Pulau Gaya to help him retain his seat in the state polls.
Tg Aru has about 15,000 voters while Tg Keramat’s electorate numbers 14,000. According to Marzuki, the fixed deposits account for 20% of votes from the two constituencies.
Marzuki however noted the key to victory in Petagas was not about the party banner, but family ties that run deep in the communities there.
“Former Petagas assemblyman Uda Sulai from Warisan still has influence there partly due to his large family. However, Umno cannot be underestimated as most Putatan residents are still reeling from the negative impacts of the pandemic.
With unemployment still an issue, BN and Umno could take the advantage and win the seat. They have the financial edge to win over voters, given that many Putatan people are in the low-income bracket.”
The Sabah Bumiputera factor
Entrepreneur Michael Frederick, meanwhile, said the voting influence of Sabah’s Bumiputera community should not be dismissed entirely.
Accounting for more than half of the voters in Putatan, he said, candidate picks from the Kadazan-Dusun Murut (KDM) ethnic group could be a deciding factor even though the communities may have their own political ideologies.
“There are just too many parties. Although some claim to be multiracial, their strong support base is the KDMs. Now, there are Upko, PBS, Sabah Star and newer ones like the KDM (Social Democratic Harmony) Party led by Datuk Peter Anthony.
“We can’t dismiss Sabah Star and the KDM Party having a role in influencing the votes in Putatan.” – The Vibes, July 11, 2022
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