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N.09 Tempasuk

TEMPASUK in the Kota Belud district saw a 7-cornered fight. The incumbent was  Datuk Mohd Arsad Bistari of GRS. He won it on a BN ticket in 2020.

Arsad was one of the Umno Assemblymen who refused to overthrow Hajiji in 2023. He is a former Umno youth leader in Kota Belud. Recently among those who campaigned for him was former Umno national youth leader and former Health Minister Datuk Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ), the son-in-law of former PM Pak Lah.

In the recent election, Arsad polled 4,914 votes. His nearest rival, Azuwan Marjan @ Norjan of BN got 3,093. A majority of 1,821. Azuwan, a young but up-and-coming Kota Belud Umno divisional chief was a last-minute stand-in for Sabah Umno Deputy Chairman Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

Rahman was already announced as Umno candidate for Tempasuk when Sabah Umno chairman the late Bung Moktar read the list about a week before nomination.

Why did he pull out last-minute? You have to ask him. Rahman is a former Kota Belud MP which includes Tempasuk and he had then said his mother is from Kota Belud.

Rahman is Tuaran Umno chief which includes Sulaman. It was an open secret that the late Bung wanted to put him in Sulaman, challenging Hajiji. Rahman, who is related to the Chief Minister, refused. Someone described the late Bung’s move as “good chess move” but Rahman refused to fall into the trap.

Then rumours had it that Rahman would stand in Pantai Dalit instead which is also under Tuaran. But that also did not happen. The incumbent Pantai Dalit Assemblyman, Datuk Jasnih Daya, won it in 2020 on a BN ticket. But he was also one of the few Umno Assemblymen who refused to overthrow Hajiji in 2023 and later joined GRS. Rahman had said that by hook or by crook Umno must regain Pantai Dalit, which led people to think that he would stand there himself. That also did not happen.

By the way, in the recent election in Tempasuk the Warisan candidate Mohd Khidir Lamsil got 2,392 votes while Star’s Walter Mark Mukis got 1,275. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that most of Walter’s votes came from the KDM community within Tempasuk.

N.10 Usukan

Usukan is the name of an island off Kota Belud. It saw a 6-cornered fight. The incumbent was DSP Dr Salleh Said Keruak of BN. He last won it on a BN-Umno ticket in 2020. He then polled 8,280 votes. His nearest rival, Abdul Bakrin Yusof of Warisan obtained 3,982 votes.

In the recent election, Salleh got 5,850 votes. The winner was Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis of Warisan who got 6,292 votes. This is the second time Salleh lost to Munirah whom I believe is related to him. The first time was in the 2018 Kota Belud MP election when she beat him by a majority of more than4,000 votes.

Murinah went on to become a Deputy Minister in KL after that until 2020. Quite a brave young lady, considering that Salleh is a former Chief Minister and former Federal Minister. In 2022 MP election, Murinah beat another former Federal Minister and former Kota Belud MP, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan also by more than 4,000 votes.

With this win Murinah is one of the Sabah politicians who are both MP and Assemblymen. Others include the Apdal brothers also of Warisan, Upko’s Ewon Benedick and Madius Tangau, PBRS’ Arthur Joseph Kurup. I hope I didn’t miss out anybody.

Also in the recent election, candidate of the ruling party GRS, Datuk Japlin Akim polled 5,179 votes, quite impressive. Japlin is a former Assistant Minister and former Usukan Assemblyman once considered a protégé of Salleh when they were together In Umno. Some say the split vote between Salleh and Japlin recently worked towards Murinah’s benefit. The Chinese say the Fisherman has the biggest catch. 

Usukan to the Salleh family is just like Banggi is to the Tun Mustapha family. During the post-Independence or Usno period, Salleh’s father the late Tun Said Keruak and Mustapha ‘ruled’ Kota Belud and Banggi respectively for many years.

The late Tun Said, just like Mustapha a former Governor and Chief Minister, was Usukan Assemblyman from 1967 to 1982. Salleh was Usukan Assemblyman from 1994 to 2002 and again from 2013-2018 and 2020-2025.

However, after the Keruak family dumped Usno in favour of Berjaya, Mustapha decided to put a leg in Kota Belud. In 1985, the year that PBS defeated Berjaya, Mustapha standing on an Usno ticket was elected Usukan Assemblyman. He deated among others of course Salleh if I remember correctly. 

However, in the 1986 snap election, Mustapha did not seek re-election after he lost the court case to Pairin as to who was the rightful CM. His son Datu Abdul Hamid stood instead and won. However, Hamid died a year later. Mustapha stood again in the by-election and won. He remained Usukan Assemblyman until 1994. 

Umno entered Sabah in 1990 and Mustapha became its inaugural Chairman, based in Kota Belud. However in 1993 Mustapha was replaced as Sabah Umno chairman by Tun Sakaran Dandai after Anwar replaced Ghafar Baba as DPM and Deputy Umno President.

Mustapha’s Kota Belud Umno was the only party division in Sabah that did not nominate Anwar but Ghafar instead. After Anwar was elected it was pay-back time and Mustapha was changed. I asked Mustapha why he did not nominate Anwar and he siad : “I cannot do that to a friend (Ghafar). Even if mine is the only division, I will still nominate Ghafar as a matter of principle.” Respect Tun. Salute.

Mustapha became angry after he was changed. He did not seek re-election in 1994 and backed PBS instead. His son Datu Amirkahar stood in Banggi and won. The rest is history but for the record, Mustapha died in 1995 as a PBS member, not Umno and not Usno. No wonder the old Borneo Bulletin of Brunei described politics as a funny thing.

Among the former Usukan Assemblymen is Pandikar Amin Mulia who won on an Usno ticket in 1982. The then young lawyer defeated Salleh of Berjaya. Said Keruak had resigned from Usno and threw his weight behind then CM Harris. His son Salleh stood in the by-election. However, Pandikar was Usukan Assemblyman only until 1985.

N.11 Kadamaian

This is a 8-cornered fight. The incumbent is Datuk Ewon Benedick of Upko. He obtained 11,977 votes. His closest rival James Muyau of GRS obtained 2,306 votes. That is a majority of 9,672. So for those of you who might be thinking of challenging Ewon in the future, think twice.

Norman Simon of Warisan also lost. But he got a beautiful number of votes – 2,222.

Ewon first won it in 2018 on a BN-Upko ticket. At that time he was not Upko president yet. The president was DSP Wilfred Madius Tangau. Ewon was already in the Istana awaiting Musa being sworn-in as CM. Then there was a message that Tangau was on his way to Shafie’s house to pledge allegiance to Warisan.

Shafie was sworn-in the next day as CM despite Musa having already been sworn-in. The rest is history.

Upko was rewarded accordingly with Tangau being appointed DCM via Nomination as Assemblyman and Ewon, Minister of Rural Development, one of the youngest Ministers if not the youngest at that time. Tangau who was Tuaran MP did not stand in the State election.

All good things must come to an end. In late 2020 the Warisan+ government was ousted when PN+BN+PBS had enough seats to form the new government. Ewon was re-elected in Kadamaian but Tangau lost in Kiulu to Joniston. Ewon became the lone Upko Assemblyman and in the Opposition in the State Assembly.

However, that did not last long. In January 2023 there was this failed coup dubbed Langkah Kinabalu which failed to unseat Hajiji. Upko together with DAP and PKR (in short PH) threw their weight behind Hajiji. 

Both DAP and PKR got a Cabinet post each a few days later after the coup. Ewon did not join as he was already a Federal Minister. Before the 2022 MP election, Upko threw its weight behind Anwar and became a component of PH at the national level. It was a right gamble as Anwar became PM and Ewon became a Federal Minister.

Ewon had earlier won the Penampang MP election defeating Warisan’s Darell Leiking. It was sweet revenge for Upko taking back Penampang from the Opposition.

However, just before the recent State election Ewon resigned as a Federal Minister and pulled Upko out of PH. It was a daring move but it proved to be the right move.

Upko in general and Ewon in particular proved to be a Hero in the eyes of Sabahans especially among the KDM. Of course there were critics too.

Because of this daring move, Upko won not just in Ewon’s Kadamaian but also in Tamparuli and Moyog. That is 3 Upko seats compared to Ewon’s being lone ranger in 2020. I am not surprised that Tangau won in Tamparuli because he has been Tuaran MP for a long time and that includes Tamparuli.

Over the years, he has built up a strong base there. More importantly Moyog because it was a Warisan stronghold since 2018. Another sweet revenge for Upko for taking back Moyog finally.

Does this mean then end of Warisan in Penampang and Moyog? I don’t want to be a Nujum Pak Belalng as in P. Ramlee’s movie. The happiest man must be Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, the spiritual leader of Upko and former Penampang MP and Moyog Assemblyman.

I once served a historian and he was fond of saying History Always Repeats Itself. So history repeated itself when at midnight on Nov 29 Ewon and Tangau called Hajiji to pledge their allegiance to GRS+ as the coalition had only won 29+ 1 seat. GRS plus Upko would give you 33 seats. Plus the 5 Independents would give you 38. Plus KDM’s solo seats would give you 39. The magic number is 37 to form the government. Even PAS said it would support later.

Never mind Star’s two seats since its president Dr Jeffrey seems to be changing his mind every now and then.

Once again, Upko made the right gamble and Upko was rewarded with a Cabinet seat just like 2018. Infact Ewon was made DCM 3. History is indeed repeating itself.

But the essence here is timing. You have to decide and act fast. If in 2018 Tangau went to Shafie’s house at midnight, this time he and Ewon also went to Sri Gaya and later Istana at midnight. As the Malay saying goes, Siapa Cepat Dia Dapat (Early bird catches the worm). 

By the way, I expect Tangau and Donald Mojuntin to be given GLC chairmanship, especially under Ewon’s Ministry. Even Dompok for that matter who was the Chairman of a GLC when Ewon was a Federal Minister.

In conclusion, Tangau and Ewon corrected the ‘wrong’ they did in 2018. The KDM community have no reason not to support GRS now. All 3 DCMs are KDM, with 2 from the Ranau district alone. The two Ministers from Tenom are also KDM. Even Hajiji’s mother was a Dusun bah for argument’s sake.

N.12 Sulaman

This is a 5-cornered fight. Normally Hajiji would face only two or the most 3 challengers. This time it is obvious that they put more candidate hoping to reduce the Chief Minister’s majority in order to embarrass him.

But they were wrong. Instead of being decreased, Hajiji has one of the highest, if not the highest, majority ever in his political career.  He had a majority of 8,919. That’s almost 9,000. Compare this with the 281 vote majority he got when he stood for the first time in 1990.

The views expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Express. If you have something to share, write to us at: Forum@dailyexpress.com.my