KOTA KINABALU: After the departure of three assemblymen from Parti Warisan early this week, all eyes are now on who else will make the switch from the Opposition to support the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government.
Politicians and observers feel many more assemblymen could move to pledge allegiance to GRS or even join Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“As long as the anti-hopping law is not adopted at state level, chances are high that assemblymen will jump ship. This is nothing new in Sabah,” said Dr Firdausi Suffian of Sabah Universiti Teknologi Mara.
He said Hajiji, who is also GRS chairman, had consolidated his position after the failed move by Warisan and Sabah Barisan Nasional-Umno to topple his administration.
This was done, he said, through the takeover of Gagasan Rakyat to become the lead party in the now all-local GRS state ruling coalition as well as appointing senior leaders like Datuk Seri Anifah Aman to key positions.
“Hajiji is trying to build the momentum and strengthening his party but this also means he needs to muster support for the upcoming state election.
“There will be horse trading... switching sides will be highly likely,” Firdausi said.
Speculation is swirling that more assemblymen will be crossing after the three – Mohammad Mohamarin (Banggi), Ben Chong Chen Bin (Tanjong Kapor) and Norazlinah Arif (Kunak) – announced their exit from Warisan on Monday.
They announced in a video on social media that they left the party led by former chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to become Independents, friendly to the chief minister.
The trio, in a joint statement, said they were against the continued attempts to destabilise the state government as it was not benefiting Sabah’s development plans under the Sabah Maju Jaya roadmap.
They were among six Warisan assemblymen previously speculated to quit the party.
Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong said the withdrawals would not affect the party and its fight for Sabah’s rights.
Wong, the Tanjung Aru assemblyman, also claimed that the GRS government continued to delay the anti-hopping law enactment for the state as it wanted to engineer defections of assemblymen. Parliament had enacted the law last year.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah senior lecturer Dr Lee Kuok Tiung said neither Warisan nor Sabah Barisan-Umno would dare guarantee their remaining assemblymen would not jump ship.
“Defection from GRS (to the Opposition) is very slim (at the moment) but Opposition assemblymen joining GRS is very likely.
“However, too much politicking is not good for Sabah’s development. Priority should also be given to efforts to claim Sabah’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63),” he said.
Political observers have not ruled out that Warisan, Parti KDM and Sabah Barisan-Umno assemblymen might switch to GRS, or particularly Gagasan Rakyat, which would also spell the end of the lingering opposition threat to Hajiji’s government.
Observers say the assemblymen would have to move now before the anti-hopping law, which is widely expected to be tabled in the state assembly next month, is passed.
Hajiji’s GRS government initially had the support of 44 assemblymen following the failed bid by Warisan, Sabah Barisan-Umno and Parti KDM to unseat the government.
But it has climbed to 47 of the 79 seats in the assembly after the three former Warisan assemblymen pledged their support to the chief minister.
