KOTA KINABALU: Looming PKR elections in Sabah have so far failed to generate much interest but there is talk that the party has seen an uptick in applications for membership and challenges to the status quo may come from the young.
Unlike previous party elections when there was an air of frenetic activity and lobbying, back-biting and undisguised manipulation, this year’s affair in contrast has a staid look about it with little hint of scandal or even spirit for that matter.
Perhaps it is because the general elections are over and there is little to gain.
One thing is certain Sabah PKR has a lot of handwork to do between now the 14th General Election due in just over four years.
Party elections at divisional levels are scheduled for the end of March, some three months before delegates from all over the country converge for PKR’s annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor in July.
Sabah PKR which is currently headed by Lajim Ukin, is quietly preparing for elections in most of its 25 divisions.
But expect some surprises.
Manipulative Lajim and his flamboyance is irking many quarters.
Aspirants for divisional positions are said to be from across the board including from those who just recently joined the party.
According to a party source, in some divisions in Sabah, even former supporters of Barisan Nasional who have now joined PKR, are clamoring for positions in the party, which currently rules Penang, Selangor and Kelantan in Peninsular Malaysia.
Bumburing still ‘independent’
This source claimed that there are those who just managed to lodge their membership application forms in time to be approved before the cut-off date – Jan 5 – to be eligible to run for office.
“Soon we will know who and who are in the running in PKR,” he said adding that at least two from Sabah are contemplating running for office at the national level.
Speculation is rife that Lajim, who is also Klias assemblyman, and Api-Api assemblywoman Christina Liew might stand for supreme council seats at the least.
A visit to the new Sabah PKR headquarters near the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) recently found their staff busy processing bundles of membership application forms.
A party leader, who was present but requested anonymity, told FMT that Sabah PKR had been receiving new applications daily including from youngsters.
Under PKR constitution, anyone aged 18 years and above is eligible to join the party.
One oddity in Sabah PKR is the party’s assemblyman for Tamparuli, Wilfred Bumburing, who though a PKR lawmaker, is not a member of the party.
Bumburing is the head of the NGO, Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS),as well as a deputy president of Angkatan Amanah Malaysia, which is headed by an Umno stalwart, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
He is said to be influential among the Kadazandusun members in PKR and could influence results in some divisions.
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