On 6th February, FMT reported that SAPP had abandoned all hope of talks with Pakatan Rakyat in the matter of the sharing of seats in the next General Election, and that all that remains is for SAPP and STAR to work this seat-sharing out between themselves.
The next day, FMT reported that Pakatan Rakyat ally Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) reacted to reports that Yong Teck Lee had accused Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin “who quit the ruling coalition in July last year of “kow-towing” to Kuala Lumpur-based opposition parties in order to be Pakatan candidates”.
The same day, FMT reported that Jeffrey Kitingan and Yong Teck Lee met but failed to reach agreement on seat allocation for their respective parties for GE13.
“Insiders, who claimed some knowledge of the meeting, said STAR and SAPP appeared to clash in five (of the total 25) parliamentary seats and as many as 13 of the 60 state assembly seats, all Kadazandusun areas. The failure to narrow their differences last night echoed the results of previous meetings” , according to the report.
And today, the Malaysianinsider reports Azmin Ali as saying that Pakatan Rakyat has “officially excluded Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) from seat negotiations” .
“…SAPP is completely out of the list, out of our formula. I am not blaming them for anything, simply that their demands are unreasonable” , Azmin is reported to have said.
Factor in Jeffrey’s reference, in December last year, as reported in FMT, to Pakatan helming a Malaya Agenda and that “only if the 13th general election returns a ‘hung’ parliament, would Star work with Pakatan”, and you would not be faulted if you began to feel that the hopes of the rakyat in seeing UMNO / BN removed from Putrajaya was fast becoming nothing more than a wet dream.
If the rumours are to be believed, we go to the polls in 49 days.
And as everyone knows, winning a sufficient number of the 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah is critical to our wresting Putrajaya from UMNO / BN.
The squabbling between the local parties and Pakatan has been going on for some time now without any resolution seemingly on the horizon.
Or are we merely witnessing posturing by the various parties, each hoping that their respective stance strengthens their position at the bargaining table?
Frankly, I don’t know, but I am worried.
As I said in an earlier post, “We can work our socks off in Parts 1 and 2 of Phase 1 of the ABU War, and it will all come to naught if we do not get this most important Part 3 right. Yes, enough 3 cornered contests in the 222 parliamentary constituencies caused by the inability of the opposition parties to collectively offer only 222 candidates in all the parliamentary seats, and be ready to see UMNO /BN take Putrajaya again”.
Since early 2011, until Musa Aman barred my further entry there in December of that year, I spent much time in Sabah.
I have since come to regard Jeffrey, Yong and many other local leaders as friends and fellow activists whose aim is to remove UMNO / BN from Putrajaya and to begin the process of rehabilitating the lives of the 40% marginalised in Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak.
Since early 2012, sensing that there might be problems in working out straight fights in all 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah, I met Jeffrey and Yong separately on several occasions in Labuan, hoping to arrange a meeting between the 3 of us in the hope of helping them see the need for them to rise above party politics, see themselves as leaders of the people of Sabah and, in that spirit, work out an arrangement that best served the interests of the people of Sabah.
During this time, I had also met up with a Pakatan leader who assured me that if the local leaders of Sabah could truly unite, Pakatan would be amenable to allowing that local ‘coalition’ to carry the majority of Sabah seats, provided they could in fact field ‘winnable’ candidates of integrity who would not succumb to financial seduction later.
With this assurance, I persevered with my efforts with the two Sabah leaders.
Regrettably, I failed to get both to the meeting table together.
I remain ready to do anything and everything needed to make sure we do not see Putrajaya handed to UMNO / BN on a silver platter simply because the leaders could not resolve the seat-sharing leading to their parties two and three-cornering each other.
To Jeffrey and Yong, and all Pakatan leaders, I appeal to you to put aside your egos, put aside party interests and make paramount the welfare of the people of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak and the wishes of a growing number from amongst the people to see an end to UMNO/BN rule in Putrajaya.
To this end, I offer to work with all of you so that we may begin the pressing task of working out a coalition to offer one candidate in each of the 26 parliamentary seats in Sabah before we go to the polls.
We owe this to the people who have long suffered under UMNO / BN.
Roob Ganesan
February 9, 2013
Uncle Harris, the disagreement is actually a blessing in disguise. They will sort out their differences sooner or later. Have faith in us the people Uncle Harris!!! God bless you!
I hope you are right, bro.
God bless you too
bigjoe99
February 9, 2013
This was expected. The SAPP and STAR was always going to put on a show of ‘action’ on their way to GE having being castrated for so long. They fact they are doing it now means they know that in the end they have to cut a deal unless they want to be villified post-GE and ignominous end even if UMNO/BN stays in power and buys them in..
The truth is, there is only chance for one last take-it-or leave it offer to both SAPP and STAR and if its fail, its time to destroy both of them ruthlessly..
Paul Warren
February 9, 2013
Yong Teck Lee, is he not the first beneficiary of Project M? When PBS fell and UMNO went into Sabah, was Yong Teck Lee not the two or so years custodial Chief Minister of Sabah, after which he happily handed it over to UMNO to rule forever? Was he not the guy who agreed to whatever formula that the Chief Ministership would be circulated amongst the Sabah, Chinese, Malays and Kadazans and after his term handed it to a Malay UMNO guy and never really had anything negative to say about UMNO holding on to it since then? When everyone else seemed to know that he was a fool to trust UMNO then, was it not Yong Teck Lee who let himself be fooled by UMNO? And now he wants to talk!!
Malaysianatheart
February 9, 2013
Frankly, Sabahans deserve better than Yong and Jefferey. Both have slept with UMNO and gained from the intimacy. With them, it was never about their people. UMNO has corrupted them absolutely. I think Pakatan should go it alone – 3 cornered fight or not. Even if you succeed Haris, in getting them to agree about seat allocation, you cannot trust them. History has shown that they are prepared to be bought by the highest bidder. (of course that can be said about almost any politician in Opposition! But these guys are particularly vile for having allowed Mahathir’s treachery in the illegal immigrant saga). You may be inadvertently doing the people of Sabah a great disservice.
Kyle Hampden
February 10, 2013
Frankly, Sabahans deserve better than Anwar Ibrahim. Both have slept with UMNO and gained from the intimacy. With them, it was never about their people. UMNO has corrupted them absolutely.
Taipan
February 9, 2013
When you have politicians who allowed power to get to their heads, they would want the whole cake and eat it too. Most of these politicians have long been expired by date and are no longer relevant to the cause apart from being the self-serving opportunists. Sahabans should do away with them and vote for those who can truly champion their cause and free Sabah of the untold miseries brought about by these politicians who conspired with UMNO in the past to deprive the Sabahans of their legitimate rights.
GONG XI FA CAI to all Anak Bangsa Malaysia!
KKLim
February 9, 2013
I don’t think you should try. I have many Sabahan friends and relatives. All of them have nothing good to say about these two politicians. If need be, let them slog it out. The Law of Natural Selection shall prevail.
Lluuung
February 9, 2013
Jia Yu HARIS, Jia Yu . God Bless HARIS !
Lluuung
February 10, 2013
Happy Lunar New Year to all Anak Bangsa Malaysia!
God bless ABU and HARIS !!!
Sabah native
February 9, 2013
Yes it is a blessing for Sabah that Pakatan exclude SAPP from their list because Pakatan seemingly unable to sort out their seats allocation even with only three parties, now that they have APS and PPPS with them in Sabah making up to five components, the argument for seats is definitely not over yet. As from now SAPP need not bother or get entangled by the PR seats problems is a blessing for Sabah people.
Why must PR exclude SAPP when SAPP had been consistently supporting Datuk Seri Anwar to be the next PM? Is it not enough to be PM and be respected and supported by all Malaysians.? Why push so hard that you might get to fall together and lost it all in trying to take more than one can handle?
Just can't wait for GE13
February 10, 2013
Again I can only say padan muka when, no if, BN retains putrajaya owing to the selfish attitudes of the opposition parties. This time, I blame PK, for I remember it was this party that wanted to give up a few miserable seats in Sarawak and keep the bulk to itself during the state elections. Why can’t PKR get it into their egoistic thick heads that East Msian parties have a greater chance of winning the seats? They’d rather cut their nose to spite their face, so padan muka to them. Only pity we rakyat who wants to get rid of BN.
looes74
February 10, 2013
The thing is that can SAPP & STAR have the ability to win big? Jeffrey & Yong is no Pairin, you know
zik
February 10, 2013
with the hell SAPP did demand the same seat number during their time in BN!! Why the sudden jump in seat demands!are they looking for the well being of the Sabah people or only their fat stomach!!and why the hell Jefry told Sarawakian to support only local parties which mean BN components rather than Pakatan parties!!are these two parties..same like SNAP once before!!Look what happen to SNAP..even Sarawakian dont believe them anymore!!And it proven that SNAP is actualy BN’s mole..well go figure!!
Philip
February 10, 2013
I wouldn’t be too sad if both Yong and Jeffrey won’t play ball. It may actually be a blessing in disguise that they won’t be part of both State and Federal Government if PR ever wins GE13.
There’s no guarantee they won’t behave true to character AFTER joining PR for GE13, and then hop over the BN again after they get bought off with Umno’s deep coffers.
ABU should invest its energies where they’re more likely to bear fruit: Bringing down Taib’s regime in Sarawak in the wake of his shaking foundations today.
Leave Sabahans to decide for themselves the sort of politicians they deserve. It’s about time both Sabah and PKR clean house anyway. If Yong and Jeffrey cause PKR/PR to fail in Sabah, the Rakyat will get to see them and Azmin Ali in their true light.
In the long run, that can’t be a bad thing for the entire country and especially Sabah.
Wow
February 10, 2013
The track records of YongTeck Lee and Jeffrey speak for themselves. Their Sabah for Sabahan are just to fool the people of Sabah. If they are not interested to work with PR, let’s forget about them. They will be history after the PRU13.
Sad at turn of affairs
February 10, 2013
The trouble is if both side don’t want to cooperate with each other, BN is certainly happy with this arrangement, and Sabah remains their fixed deposit.
ablogsmith
February 10, 2013
Sigh!!! These 2 problematic politicians (Jeffrey & Yong) is already enough trouble with high possibility of defecting to the hated UMNO/BN coalition is somehow they managed to get elected. But shouldn’t Bumburing and Lajim be viewed with suspicions too? Why does Anwar not learn bitter lessons of being betrayed by so called friends? Why does he not ever learn from the past?
mike
February 10, 2013
The simple solution is let Borneo Alliance ( SAPP/STAR/USNO) vs. PR. vs. BN take the centre line in Sabah. Let give the people of Sabah a free hand to decide.
wandererAUS
February 11, 2013
Two expired politicians YongTeck Lee and Jeffrey have turned “trouble makers”. They harp on a slogan, Sabah for Sabahans to govern…that certainly sounded fair and rightly so, but are these two selfish politicians up to the task to make this a reality?…perhaps, it only kept them breathing. On their personal popularity, they are a spent force, unworthy even to hold the candles for Pakatan. Just as well they took the challenge to contest this coming GE on their own…empty talk! This will be their last dance……
I think the Sabahans are aware and they will not be foolish enough to throw away this golden opportunity to rid the corrupted swines in UMNO/BN regime.
ishvin
March 6, 2013
We all need to see the bigger picture here. For ABU to work, PR must not behave like dictators. Sabahans are really upset with the way PR has treated them. There is going to be a whitewash bor both PR and BN in Sabah if PR dont budge from their stance and let the local Sabah based parties take the lead. But then, this is Malaysian politics i guess where the goal is greater than the cause.