the pbs kiulu division showed what it means to criticise a leader when it asked the huguan siou pairin kitingan to quit to pave the way for a young progressive leader to take pbs's helm. for someone who has been on top for so many years, the call indicates that some pbs members have begun to see pairin as a lame duck leader who has lost his claws. those calling pairin to quit want his deputy maximus ongkili to take over pbs's leadership but the questions which pbs members need to ask themselves are: is maximus the right person to replace pairin? can he become the new huguan siou of the kadazandusun if pairin resigning as president of pbs would also mean that he need to relinquish the influential titular position as well?
talks at the grassroots level (and this was confirmed by a source as well) are that maximus is unlikely to replace pairin as huguan siou because compared to pairin, he does not have a strong grassroots base. maximus is also said to be not likeable among the chinese and muslim pbs members. if pbs was to remain relevant, at least as a multiracial party, it has to ensure that the chinese and muslim support remain strong. so far, pbs has done nothing constructive to maintain its chinese and muslim support. it is true, according to a source, that some chinese, in particular, have already begun to see sabah politics beyond pbs. the muslims, on the other hand, are beginning to see umno as a capable party to uniting the muslim community in sabah. the chinese and muslim who remain loyal to pbs now can be considered as those who are sympathetic to pbs's struggles.
if no credible leader is found and pairin has to resign, then pbs has to face its rival party upko which is now trying to woo kadazandusun members to its midst. upko may be more appealing to the kadazandusuns now because it mobilises its political movement along the strong kadazandusun sentiment. if pbs lost its kadazandusun support, it will surely face disbandment as its support depends heavily on the kadazandusun community.
so, really, pbs has no choice but to buckle up. this would mean revamping the party's lineup by injecting new young blood and preparing for a leadership transitional process. it also needs to woo young members who are beginning to develop interests towards politics. the pbs should emulate upko that has established komulakan to reach the younger generation. while it is true that from the political point of view that pbs would survive as long as it is in bn, it would face the same fate as in the case of mic and mca if no efforts are taken to solidify its mass support.
as for pairin, perhaps, it is time for him to focus more on uniting the kadazandusun community in his capacity as huguan siou. let someone helm the pbs and let not politics divides the kadazandusun further.
5 comments:
sir do u still remember me???
i'm mohamad noh..
sir what do u think about the malaysian politic nowadays??
can u write more on your blog??
people noaway is eager to know more about Anuar....
Well sir, to me as a young kadazan that will be interested in politics, i see myself slightly uncapble to see what is going on in PBS or UPKO for that matter. So to speak/write bodly in here that there are many youngster who will join PBS if there are enough influence to think highly of PBS among kadazandusun as their stronghold. But sometimes I heard rumors that Muslim are the one controlling the string in this play by using Pairin to gain support by the Kadazandusun, moreover most kadazandusun people who have little or no knowledge in politics has the tendency to br trapped in sweet talks. I will Continue to write again to your opinion....
hi mohd noh. it is good to hear from you again. certainly i will write about malaysian politics from time to time. i hope my time doing research and teaching would not hamper me from doing so.
anonymous leaves an interesting theory about the state of kadazandusun politics, trying to link the role of certain muslim leaders who are using kadazandusun leaders to pursue their own political agenda. this, in my opinion, is only partly correct. certain kadazandusun leaders are also using their muslim counterparts in umno for their own agenda too.
what we are seeing now is the absence of capable kadazandusun leader who can really fight beyond the ethnic lines and one who is serious in tackling the sabah problems.
the younger kadazandusun leaders should not be confused about the politics of their senior brethren. they should speak up, make their voices known and to "speak truth to power" as edward said said some time ago.
The KDM community in Sabah is now seem to be represented by at least 3 political parties: PBS, UPKO, PBRS. While all of them claimed to be championing the interest of the community it is hard to see their commitment in communicating their vision of what this community is to become. This is very true in the context of mainstream media. When was the last time we, YEKDM (young educated KDM) read any of the leaders of these parties making statements remotely resembling a vision for KDM?
Looking at our current political scenario in this 'land below the wind' we are gradually moving towards 'new politics' which i think that a newly 'intelegensia' sabahans played a significant role as the agent of change.
as a young Kadazan/Dusun,my most concern is that the KDM's politics is experiencing fragmentation due to KDM's leaders who are persuing their own political agenda. While the KDM is in the 'fragmentation' stage, the non-KDM may perceive this as an opportunity to induce their own political mileage thus worsening the KDM's politics..
my hope that the reemergence of 'intelegensia KDM' will 'fixed' the fragmentation that is taking place among KDM's politics..it would be better to see if PBS, UPKO and PBRS could be united for the sake of KDM comunity...
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