By Michael Kaung - Free Malaysia TodayKOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak ran smack into a brewing political storm in the Sabah Barisan Nasional over the allocation of seats in the next general election.
He got a grilling from the media about statements by Sabah Umno leaders who have questioned the status quo in the distribution of power among BN component parties"It's not the right time yet for us to make any decisions... why should the people overreact now?" he asked reporters, after a walkabout at the Lido market near here yesterday.
"Leave it to me to decide what is best for Sabah. At the moment, we should not get too excited about it," Najib said when asked if he would consider political changes in Sabah.
"There's a lot of politicking internally, my advice is to concentrate on serving the people... we must show we are a party that cares for the people of Sabah, that is of utmost importance."
He did, however, indirectly acknowledge that the BN was caught off guard by Sabah Umno leaders demanding that component parties vacate seats currently held by them.
The spark that ignited this unseeming quarrel among the state BN component parties began about a month ago when Kalabakan Umno division head Ghapur Salleh demanded that the Merotai state seat held by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) for two terms be returned to Umno because it had failed to bring any development to the constituency.
LDP officials replied to the slight by criticising the state BN leadership led by Chief Minister Musa Aman for allowing the matter to get out of hand.
“It contradicts the Prime Minister and BN concept of 1Malaysia ... this is not 1Umno,” said Albert Kok, the private secretary to the deputy minister in the PM’s department VK Liew Kok.
He said LDP, the most senior BN party in Sabah, has been continuously victimised. "It is unfair considering we have been loyal and dedicated to the struggle of BN since 1989."
“We were one of the few parties who helped Umno when it set foot in Sabah in the early 1990s. We do not deserve to be mistreated by certain Umno state leaders who are out to discredit and victimise us to satisfy their greed and fulfil their hidden agendas,” he said.
CM's performance under scrutiny
Matters came to a head last Sunday when Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Yahya Hussin also suggested that the Putatan parliamentary seat be given to an Umno candidate in the next general election.
The constituency is currently being represented by the candidate from the Pertubuhan Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Bersatu (Upko), Marcus Majigoh.
Yahya, who is also the state Umno liaison secretary and Putatan Umno division head, said the move was appropriate because Umno was the pillar of strength for the BN in the parliamentary constituency.
"We can control the problem. Although there is a slight difference of opinion, I believe they will adhere to whatever decision is made by the top BN leadership," said Najib.
"At this stage, there may be pressure at the grassroots level, there are various views as well as demands. But whatever it is, they must uphold the BN spirit and consensus.
"According to our constitution, anyone can make demands, but the final decision lies in the hands of the BN supreme council and chairman," he added.
Citing the contentious Hulu Selangor by-election seat, Najib said: "Like in Hulu Selangor, initially there were also calls for Umno to contest and so on.
“But I took the decision to hold on to the BN consensus and the Hulu Selangor seat remained with the MIC candidate.
"Although Umno did not contest, Umno had worked very hard to ensure victory for the MIC candidate. What was utmost importance was that the candidate was a BN candidate.
“Whoever contests, eventually it must be seen as not a candidate of any BN component, but a BN candidate as a whole."
Testy disagreements
The current political quandary in a state the BN national leadership views as a 'fixed deposit' is being seen as an assessment of Musa’s leadership.
Top Umno officials says the state BN's cohesiveness has always been shaky at best and the sudden open split reflects poorly on Musa.
The testy disagreements between the coalition partners comes at a time when the MACC is reportedly investigating close business associates of Musa for alleged money laundering.
The open demand for the seats does not have the blessing of the national BN leadership which is trying to strengthen the support base of non-Muslim parties.
Some within Sabah Umno may be obstructing these efforts to detract from other problems faced by the state BN under Musa whose leadership style has come under increasing scrutiny.
Thrown into the mix is the issue of projects in the 10MP and those under the Rural Development Ministry headed by another Sabah strongman and Musa's rival, Shafie Apdal.
Najib who is also the national BN chairman was in Sabah to open the 53rd National Quran Reciters Assembly.
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