when the high court declared joseph kurup’s victory in pensiangan null and void, there is a sense of euphoria among some segments of the society. this would perhaps be the second straight mother of all by-election (if kurup fails in his bid to appeal against the court’s decision) in malaysia after the permatang pauh by-election. why? a party president will have to defend his seat against a more popular opposition figure. losing the seat will mean a possible disbandment of pbrs and winning it will give a boost to kurup--the only sole pbrs representative in the parliament.
already, jeffrey kitingan—kurup’s arch-rival who almost defeated the pbrs president back in 2004—has lobbied himself to be selected as candidate should there be a by-election. if jeffrey and kurup contested, chances are high that jeffrey might be able to wrest the seat from the latter by means of individual popularity.
andipai, the disgruntled pkr candidate whose nomination paper was rejected by the returning officer has shown interest to contest, saying confidently that the candidate must be someone who understands the pensiangan constituency better. if there is such thing as a better candidate, then, it might be bernard maraat who was dropped from the pbrs list due to his conflict with kurup. the sentiment on the ground indicates that maraat is strongly tipped to contest under the pbs ticket (after withdrawing from pbrs, maraat chose pbs as his new party).
if maraat is selected, then pkr’s desire to make inroads in pensiangan would be difficult. surely, top bn leaders will have a hard time deciding who should stand representing the bn in pensiangan. if kurup is dropped for fear of losing face to pkr, then it would probably be the end of the road for the veteran politician who is struggling to survive amid dwindling support. the beneficiary will be pbs though pkr will also stand a chance to winning pensiangan. so far, upko, the second biggest kadazandusun-based party has been silent. the bn and pkr will brace for another new round of political battle. it is a battle that everyone cannot wait to watch; it is also a battle that allows pensiangan voters to decide who should be voted in and who should be voted out. this is democracy sabah style!
3 comments:
it is an interesting 'political game' within the kdm political leaders. i am agree with your argument that if maraat contests in this by-election, pkr has to face greater challenge.
having said that, pbs in particular should re-project its reputation and struggles for kdm's community so that it could secure majority supports from the grassroots...
we'll wait and see what will be the scenario in this by-election..
Bernard Maraat is a better choice for BN to be fielded in the Pensiangan by electin [if any].
As for Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, enough is enough lah. Its time to say bubbye. Its the end of Tan Sri Joseph Kurup & PBRS. What do U think Doc?
one of the most difficult things to do for any seasoned politicians is to call it a day after being in office for too long. while in some countries, the power of incumbency is considered as undemocratic, in malaysia, in it seen otherwise because what matters is the leader's ability. in the case of kurup, i think i would be better to let the pensiangan people to decide whether they still want him in or out. if there is a by-election in pensiangan, it will be a great avenue for the pensiangan people to decide. it may not be unfair to say, however, that seasoned politicians are ineffective. if kurup feels that he has done a lot to the people and he should be retained as mp, he has to present his "report card" for all to see. by doing so, he has to launch an aggresive campaign to convince the people that he is the kind of leader that can make changes whenever they are needed. the mca president hopeful, chua jui meng, had made an interesting comment on why he should be elected as president of mca (see nst, sunday, 21 september 2008). if the chinese think that chua is better and has the energy to rejuvenate mca, then, by all means, they should elect chau as president. the same logic should be applied in the case of kurup. maybe, those pensiangan voters out there would want to comment
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