The 'neutral' problem of Sabah PKR

Joseph Sipalan

The recent appointment of a new state liaison chief for Sabah PKR should not be much of an issue, if the circumstances surrounding such appointments are not so familiar.

Virtually unknown Pajudin Nordin, 42 (right), was unexpectedly declared the new state chief last Friday, raising questions over PRK's ability to pick up the pieces from numerous internal feuds and follow through with the Sabah Pakatan Rakyat's pledge to win over one of BN's two so-called 'fixed deposits'.

Based on events that unfolded over the past year or so, the circumstances surrounding Pajudin's appointment almost mirror those that led to the elevation of his predecessor, Ahmad Thamrin Jaini, in late 2009.

It was in late October that year that Thamrin, a party unknown, took over the mantle of leadership from party deputy president Azmin Ali - then a vice-president - amidst broiling dissatisfaction among state cabang heads unhappy with a West Malaysian taking charge of Sabah.

Protest memo denied, but Azmin nevertheless quits.

Barely a month earlier, on Sept 20, 18 out of the 25 cabang heads in Sabah, believed to be aligned with former national vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan, signed amemorandum protesting Azmin's appointment.

The national leadership strongly denied the existence of such a memorandum, but Azmin nevertheless made way for Thamrin's appointment, which local party insiders claim was mooted by Tuaran chief Ansari Abdullah, Jeffrey's rival and a known supporter of Azmin.

Initially, Thamrin's appointment was seen as an effort to patch differences between the feuding factions due to his 'neutral' position, but a source close to the party claimed that ties between Thamrin and Ansari soured following intense lobbying by Ansari to stand as PKR's candidate for the Batu Sapi by-election last November.

"Thamrin was supposed to be the candidate for Batu Sapi, since he is from Sandakan, but somehow Ansari (left) managed to get his foot in the door and was selected instead," said the source.

The situation finally boiled over early last week, when 15 division heads, led by Kota Marudu chief and Ansari supporter Anthony Mandiau as spokesperson, expressed no confidence in Thamrin's leadership, which they described as having no halatuju (direction).

Coming back to the present-day scenario, Pajudin's appointment seems to have a similar slant as when Thamrin, a former Libaran cabang chief, first started out in the hot seat.

Does being 'neutral' really work?

At his first press conference after he was officially declared the new Sabah PKR chief, the only cabang heads present with Pajudin were Ansari, Anthony and Batu Sapi chief Hassnar Ebrahim, seen as an Ansari ally.

Pajudin's appointment also came on the heels of a mass exodus of KadazanDusun-Murut (KDM) grassroot leaders, with 27 members of Sabah PKR's KDM task force quitting en-bloc to join the United Borneo Front (UBF), the political vehicle Jeffrey (right) set up not long before he officially quit PKR on Jan 2.

With the KDM representation suffering an arguably debilitating blow to the Sabah PKR, local political pundits are viewing Pajudin as another 'neutral' character put in place to cool any potential factional clashes among Muslim bumiputera members.

But if recent history is to be a point of reference, a 'neutral' state liaison chief may not be able to manage the volatile landscape that is Sabah PKR.

With the lack of strong leadership, the party has merely managed to stay afloat in the murky waters of Sabah politics, for nearly as long as the time since PKR made its presence known there in a big way, in the months leading to the March 2008 general election.

And as with the previous appointment of Thamrin, and now Pajudin, both of whom are hardly considered 'popular', Sabah PKR probably has less to lose than it realises in choosing an 'unpopular' - but effective - leader to take charge and get ready for the inevitable.