KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Pakatan Harapan is in a tenuous position as one of its key members, Sabah PKR, is unhappy that the coalition is being led by a "small local party" United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko).
Although the decision was made democratically, with the incumbent chairman Datuk Seri Christina Liew being ousted by three votes in favour of Upko president Datuk Ewon Benedick, Sabah PKR Leadership Council (MPN) secretary Sazalye Donol now argues that such a process has never occurred before.
He stressed that the position belongs to PKR and stated: “For now, the matter remains unresolved and we are still awaiting the final decision from Pakatan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Ultimately, the decision rests with him.”
Speaking to the media on Friday (Jan 3), following hours of discussions between Sabah PKR MPN leaders and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor at his Sri Gaya official residence, Sazalye explained that historically, there has never been a selection process for the position.
He also claimed they were not informed that a representative from Kuala Lumpur was chairing the Sabah PKR Annual General Meeting on Dec 1, adding that they had expressed their dissatisfaction and requested a postponement, which was denied.
“We are questioning Upko’s eligibility to lead, considering they are relatively new, having just joined the coalition. They seem eager to claim the position, but how can you lead when you are new? If they had been part of Pakatan longer, it might be acceptable. Even DAP is somewhat reasonable, as they have been around longer.
"Moreover, in Sabah, the PKR quota has always been key,” he said, refuting Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe’s assertion that no such quota exists.
There is a growing speculation that the internal dispute within Sabah Pakatan could undermine its influence in the state.
Despite the existing “misunderstanding”, Sazalye denied any internal crisis within the coalition, asserting that the issue has not impacted relations between the parties.
Sabah PKR was first led by the late Datuk Lajim Ukin, who left PKR to start his own party before the 2018 general election.
Liew took over the helm and had served as Sabah Pakatan chairman for seven years since 2017.
Benedick has called for calm within the coalition, urging Pakatan leaders to review his performance over the past two years and highlighting that his appointment adhered to the coalition’s constitutional rules.
