Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

LABUAN: The recent State election results should convince at least a dozen veterans who failed to win to accept that they have over-extended their stay in Sabah politics.

“These politicians being referred to should know who they are. There is no need to name them. Everyone knew they were ‘scrap metal’ and will definitely lose. 

“But they were so thick skinned after enjoying the trappings of power and luxuries for decades that they could not accept returning to civilian life.

“Hence, they must have convinced the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional leadership to still field them as candidates,” said activist Haji Abdul Jalil Ghani. 

He said if past statements when they held office were to be recalled, they were also the strongest defenders of disgraced former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who caused the Malaysian economy to be poorer by RM42 billion through grand theft, although part of the loot has since been recovered. 

Najib was jailed another 15 years and fined RM11 billion in another case on Friday.

Jalil said parties may have to put in place an “elimination system” to narrow their choice of rightful candidate in future elections so that only those without baggage or not having let down the people, whether in Sabah or Labuan, would be elected for office.

He also said it would be no surprise if another 596 candidates or more would be contesting in multi-cornered fights in the parliamentary elections for Sabah constituencies due in 18 months.

Hence, adopting such an approach would greatly help in choosing who among the parties and independents, if any, are worthy of consideration.

Jalil suggested the following on who not to vote for:

• Independents: They have no means or machinery to deliver pre-election promises and known for usually offering themselves to the highest bidder. More so in parliamentary election when they are not bound by the Anti-Hop Law. Unless he or she is known for having very strong views and can be counted on in parliament;
• Hoppers: If they have hopped before, there is every likelihood that their legs would itch again because they have frog DNA and would not hesitate to betray the trust of those who voted;
• Relatives: Many of them are often from the same family line. If voted, the State will be run like their family business. The recent Sabah election had hundreds of candidates who carried the surnames of has-been Sabah politicians. There was even a husband-and wife team which was a national record. No doubt some with familiar surnames managed to get elected and will be watched.
• Losers: If they contested in the recent State election and lost, chances are they will lose again in the parliamentary election.
• Age: Not everyone is Donald Trump or Dr Mahathir. Those past 75 are likely to face mobility issues or health related ones like scrotum cancer.  Electing them will mean your tax payer’s money will go towards their welfare and surgery in paid for expensive medical centres although they are well off, while you line up for your turn at the government hospitals; 
• Loner parties: It is heroic to go solo but without good ties with Federal it would be difficult to achieve much.

Jalil said there would always be calls by some parties to discard peninsula-based parties and follow Sarawak’s way. 

“How could this be done when Sarawak kept its doors tightly closed to intruders while some Sabah leaders opened the door wide and invited them in. 

“It make take time before we can be like Sarawak, including in political representation,” he said.