Crisis Brewing in Sabah PKR (Part 2)

I mentioned elsewhere in my writing (see, for instance, Malaysiakini [www.malaysiakini.com/letters/64324]) that PKR could become a force to be reckoned with in Sabah in the upcoming general election and that Dr. Jeffry's participation would put Sabah politics into limelight again. But the present leadership struggle in PKR would eventually weaken the party and give the impression that it would fail to pose a real challenge to Sabah BN led by UMNO. In this entry, I would like to write about the causes of the internal party squabble in PKR. It had been indicated earlier that Anwar wanted to replace Awang Tengah as Chief of Sabah PKR. Anwar's suggestion, however, was shot down by some especially by Sabah PKR Secretary, Kanul Gidol who suggested that the majority's voice must not be ignored when choosing the leader to lead Sabah PKR. The question that needs to be answered now is: why did Anwar prefer Ansari than Awang Tengah?

A source in PKR said that Ansari's Islamic appeal and his "convincing" approach to politics had caught Anwar's attention. Further, this source added, Ansari had managed to establish a "strategic alliance" with PKR's Director of Elections, Azmin Ali. It was suggested that it was probably Azmin who told Anwar to choose Ansari, considering the fact that Azmin has always been seen as Anwar's trusted ally cum adviser. Ansari's group has pointedly remarked that Anwar must be given the opportunity to appoint any individual to lead Sabah PKR as the party's constitution clearly states that the appointment of state leaders rests in the hand of the president (hence, Anwar's wife, Dr. Wan Azizah).

But Anwar's action, according to this source again, went against the larger agenda of the state PKR which wanted someone who understands what the state and its people need. The state PKR does not want to be told what to do and it wants to chart its own future in Sabah. Then, I asked this source, since PKR is a federal party and is headquatered in KL, doesn't this mean that it has direct control over Sabah and its policies must reflect the nation's interests at large? Well, this source unequivocally said no and insisted that Sabah must be treated differently. So is this struggle to pursue the "Sabah Agenda" contained in the "Tambunan Declaration" signed between Dr. Jeffry and Anwar Ibrahim? It might probably be yes according to the tune of Dr. Jeff's response to my questions when I asked his involvement in PKR. The lines are clearly drawn here and unless Anwar and his federal counterparts find the most appropriate solutions to solve once and for all PKR's internal party squabble in Sabah, they might have to face the risk of losing the support of the dissenting group which champions the Sabah Agenda.