The squabbles continue in Sabah Umno

‘Negotiating isn’t about getting what you want or giving in to what the other party wants. It’s about having both parties walk away satisfied.’

Sabah Umno is not what it used to be. The party’s good times read – days of power and dominance, are over. And it appears that there is very little chance that the party will regain its past glory, not when its internal squabbles are unending.

Since Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad brought Umno into Sabah in the early 90s, purportedly to oust then Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan and his PBS government, the party was a dominant force in the state.

Long-serving chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman helmed the Borneo territory for many years until the party was dethroned in 2018. Since then, Sabah Umno has never been the same again.

Today, the party is viewed as a weak, spent force in Sabah. When party leaders are unpopular, and seen as lacking credibility and integrity, expect their political vehicle to be frowned upon and rejected by the electorate.

To add to the party’s woes, Umno national president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has found it difficult to garner the support and respect of the Umno grassroots because of his ‘baggage’.

Party members need to trust their leaders. Those with known ‘baggage’ or tainted pasts will cause members to cast doubt on their integrity and reliability, which are essential for gaining and maintaining public trust.

For the first time in Umno’s history, the party president is not the prime minister. Zahid has to play second fiddle to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and serve as deputy prime minister.

At the state level, the man at the centre of the storm is Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, the Sabah Umno chair.

Since taking over as the Sabah chief of the party, Bung has encountered numerous problems, some inherited but most were self-created.

There are leaders able to weather political storms time and again quite successfully, but Bung, unfortunately, is not one of them.

On the contrary, he seemed to get into more squabbles with his Umno colleagues in Sabah, the latest episode was being caught in a war of words with his deputy, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

What was the spat about? Bung claimed that Dahlan had erred in inviting Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor to a recent party meeting.

Bung, who led an attempted coup against the Sabah chief minister last year, said it was “inappropriate” to have invited Hajiji. He said the Tuaran Umno meeting was meant as a platform for party president Ahmad Zahid to talk about direction and strategy. With Hajiji in attendance, Zahid could not do so, Bung said.

It is no secret in Sabah that there is no love lost between Bung and Hajiji. Hajiji was Sabah Umno chairman but left with a big group of his supporters to Bersatu following Umno’s defeat in 2018.

There was an intense tussle between Bung and Hajiji for the vacant Sabah chief minister’s post following the 2020 state elections. Hajiji prevailed and Bung was made deputy chief minister.

I had described the episode four years ago as a case of choosing a more “cultured” personality in Hajiji over an extreme extrovert and the ever “colourful” Bung. I believe the majority of Sabahans would also prefer Hajiji to be CM.

The 64-year-old Bung is considered a senior lawmaker, having been first elected Kinabatangan MP 23 years ago in 1999. He is also the serving state assemblyman for Lamag. However, he does not seem to be able to live up to his status as a senior legislator.

Bung is besieged with serious personality issues. He has been described as a highly insecure character; he thinks that anyone who disagrees with him on even the smallest issue is against him. As a result, he has a lot of political enemies in Sabah, real or imagined.

I don’t think I can ever forget the incident when Bung used the “F” bomb against a fellow MP in Parliament in 2018.

He had also challenged Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin to a fistfight when Willie asked if Bung had visited a casino based on a photograph which has gone viral.

Taking to Twitter, Willie said: “Too many blunders from Kinabatangan in Parliament. If he insists on fighting, I accept his challenge to go one-on-one in the ring”.

In a separate tweet then, Willie said throughout his presence in Parliament, he had heard numerous insults and profanities hurled at Pakatan Harapan lawmakers.

He then proceeded to list them out, which included “munafik (hypocrite), mabuk (drunk), bodoh (stupid), kepala bapak (your father’s head) and samseng (thug).”
If Bung aspires to continue leading Sabah Umno and claim the ultimate crown – the chief minister’s post, he must recognise that he would have to struggle with popularity because of his personality issues. 

Voters tend to favour politicians who are approachable, relatable, and respectful. Personality issues such as arrogance, insensitivity, or hostility can alienate voters.

Bung must also understand that politicians are under constant media scrutiny and that personality flaws are often highlighted and magnified, affecting public opinion.

As it is, Bung is ready to lead Sabah Umno into the coming state elections and he is already talking to several suitors to form alliances.

What is clear, however, is that unless Bung concentrates on solidifying his own Sabah Umno chapter and builds a united force to fight the elections, the future for him and his party looks bleak.

The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune.