From right: Phoong, Liew and James Ratib being sworn in as Sabah ministers on Jan 11, 2023.
NOW that embattled Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has restructured the government, is it game over for those who plotted to oust him as chief minister?
To quote Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, "It's okay... (the) game is still on."
Bung said this on Sunday (Jan 8), when refusing to concede defeat after Hajiji claimed he had 44 assemblymen backing him to remain as chief minister.
Hajiji had lost his majority (a minimum of 40 out of the 79-seat Sabah assembly) when Umno pulled out its 13 (out of 18 party lawmakers) from the state government.
On Wednesday (Jan 11), after two Pakatan Harapan assemblymen and an Umno assemblyman were sworn into the state Cabinet to replace three sacked Umno lawmakers including Deputy Chief Minister Bung, the Sabah government officially has 44 assemblymen.
It is still game on for Sabah politics even though the Hajiji government has the numbers.
His opponents – Umno, Parti Warisan led by Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) headed by Datuk Peter Anthony – have 35 assemblymen (Warisan, 19; Umno, 13; and Parti KDM, three).
They need five government assemblymen to switch allegiances for them to have the numbers – it is possible as Sabah has no anti-party hopping law.
Bung, Shafie and Peter are pressuring the Sabah Chief Minister to accept their parties in a unity government formula.
If the power grab by Bung, Shafie and Peter succeeds, would they have shared power with GRS?
Since Tuesday (Jan 10), they have claimed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's formula for political stability was forming a unity government.
On Monday (Jan 10) night, big guns from Kuala Lumpur, including Anwar and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, flew to Kota Kinabalu to dictate their formula to Sabah politicians.
However, Hajiji did not agree to this as it allowed those who wanted to bring him down to retain some power.
The Prime Minister had asked the Chief Minister to delay the swearing-in of the three ministers as he wanted a three-day cooling-off period to find a solution.
However, the Sabah government went ahead with the swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday (Jan 11).
Will Pakatan order its seven assemblymen to withdraw from the Hajiji government as the Chief Minister did not heed his advice for a cooling-off period?
One of the ministers sworn in is Sabah Pakatan chief and PKR's Api Api assemblyman Datuk Christina Liew. Will PKR ask her and its Inanam lawmaker to quit the state government?
If the order is made, five Pakatan assemblymen will ditch Hajiji and cause his administration to collapse.
For political optics, the order won't happen soon but it could in six months' time.
The Sabah government's numbers can also increase.
There is talk that after the failed power grab, there are Warisan and Parti KDM assemblymen who will want to join the Sabah government "demi rakyat (for the people)".
It is not game over. There's a possible sequel to the game called Pirate(s) of the Caribbean.
