LDP’s Karamunting division was quick to stake a claim that the Karamunting state seat, currently held by Pang, must remain with LDP and not be given to Gerakan.
This was echoed by LDP publicity chief, Albert Kok, who went further by demanding that Pang’s cabinet post be given to another LDP assemblyman. There are only two other assemblymen, Teo Chee Kang of Kudat and Pang Yuk Ming of Merotai.
Pang dumped LDP
Pang had dumped the LDP in favour of Musa Hj. Aman, the UMNO Chief and Chief Minister last September when LDP declared no confidence in the Chief Minister. Musa has survived repeated attempts by LDP and its allies to oust him. It is an open secret that LDP counts among its allies some top leaders of UMNO in Sabah.
In a surprise move yesterday, Musa had stripped Pang of his deputy chief minister post which traditionally is held by the most senior Chinese member of the State Cabinet. The other two deputy chief ministers are Yahya Hussein of UMNO and Joseph Pairin Kitingan of PBS, each representing the Muslim Bumiputra and non-Muslim Bumiputra communities respectively. Musa said Pang will keep his youth and sports portfolio in the cabinet, leaving the Chinese deputy chief minister post vacant for the moment.
Leading the assault on UMNO was the LDP President, V.K. Liew, who had fired off his first salvo in Kuala Lumpur where he serves as a deputy minister. Liew is known to have been upset that he has been by-passed by Gerakan President Tan Sri Koh TSu Koon as a federal cabinet minister in 2009. Koh had gained a back door entry to the federal cabinet by being first made a senator. He had lost his parliamentary seat whereas Liew is an elected MP. Both are BN component party heads.
Warning against any move to take away the Karamunting constituency held by Pang who had won the seat on LDP quota, Liew had fumed “these three YBs are merely using Gerakan as a stop-gap measure to keep their positions in government.”
Other than Pang, Liew was referring to Tanjong Papat Assemblyman Raymond Tan and Elopura Assemblyman Au Kam Wah who had left the Sabah Progressive Party to join Gerakan after SAPP ditched the BN coalition in 2008. As it happens, Raymond and Au’s state constituencies are situated within Liew’s Sandakan parliamentary constituency. The stark reality staring Liew in the face is that his constituency lies within Musa’s political base consisting of five east coast UMNO divisions encircling Sandakan.
Political survival
Finding himself isolated among the BN parties, it is Liew’s turn to fight for his survival. All the other legislators in the Sandakan belong to the UMNO-PBS pact in BN. PBS, already firmly in the grip of the UMNO Chief Minister, has kept a wide distance from LDP. This has soured relations between LDP and PBS as LDP felt betrayed by PBS. It was LDP that had pushed for PBS’s return to the BN coalition in 2001 after the 1999 general elections when PBS was roundly defeated by BN.
In the coming general elections, Liew will find it extremely difficult to defend his seat if UMNO and the Gerakan assemblymen in Sandakan do not lend full support to Liew who is actually from the west coast town of Kota Belud. In the last general elections, Liew had won with a slim majority of 176 votes coming from disputed postal ballots, capturing only 41% of the valid votes casted. The opposition votes were split between an independent and opposition party.
UMNO wants Merotai
Adding to the pressures on LDP is the UMNO demand for the Muslim-majority seat of Merotai in Tawau to be returned to UMNO. Head of the Kalabakan UMNO division in Tawau, Ghapur Salleh, had last year warned that BN might lose the Merotai seat if it is allocated to LDP again. Suffering the same fate is the LDP seat in the northern seat of Kudat where LDP village political appointees have been sacked. Although LDP’s Teo is the assemblyman, political power lies in the hands of the local UMNO division which has been at odds with LDP. With all its seats under threats by UMNO, Gerakan and PBS, LDP faces the prospect of being wiped out in the next general elections. (Author WS)
LDP previously dubbed a mosquito party in BN is now contracted into a maggot party. How long are they going to linger within the BN?
ReplyDeleteI reckon its the time LDP need to stand up to act big and to tell your taiko musang bin tidak aman to fly kite if they are not a bunch of eunuch. No kEtuanan mentality in Sabah.
ReplyDeleteTunggu dan lihat.
ReplyDeleteLDP seharusnya berbaik semula dgn UMNO.
ReplyDeleteJust wait & see what the result will be.
ReplyDeletekebaikan bersama haruslah menjadi keutamaan.
ReplyDeleteUMNO sepatunya dihalau keluar dari sabah dan bawalah kuncu2 PENDATANG HARAM mereka ke putrajaya.
ReplyDeleteSiapa undi umno = LOVE PENDATANG HARAM = Pengkhianat kepada orang Sabah.
Sendiri mau ingat la
Sia dingar PBS mau keluar asssno sebab mereka kata asssno adalah dari ajaran sesat dan sembah syaitan@DUIT HARAM. Betul kah nie?
ReplyDeleteapa akan berlaku seterusnya..
ReplyDeletetunggu dan lihat..pasti isu ini akan diselesaikan segera.
ReplyDeleteLDP is only half-cooked party, trying to champion the people halfway but back down. If you attack but run scared when countered, better keep your chicken heart to yourself.
ReplyDeletelet them solve their own party..
ReplyDeleteStop fighting for God's sake.
ReplyDeleteApa yang penting adalah kepentingan rakyat.
ReplyDeleteLDP is nothing inside the Sabah BN. It is being betrayed by Umno and PBs
ReplyDeleteI think LDP is unhappy with Peter Pang's retention as the State Cabinet minister.
ReplyDeletePerselisihan harus ditamatkan.
ReplyDeleteWhy Datuk Chin su phin keep quiet but before that he was very vocal and dare to speak up?
ReplyDeleteI sympatise with our local party LDP always bullied by their malayan master be it UMNO, MCA, or Gerakan.
As indicated LDP future in BN is doom.
LDP shout but when Mussah sneer they keep quiet right away! better they change their name to LBP..Lost Ball Party ;-)
ReplyDeleteI bet LDP wanted a the DCM seat.
ReplyDeleteMaliau-basin,
ReplyDeleteEvery party wanted the DCM seat. Who doesn't?