Rival politicians trade barbs as elections get closer
KOTA KINABALU: Palui, a commonly used Brunei Malay term, loosely translates to “fool” or “stupid”.
And there seems to be no better time for the word to make its rounds than now, what with the intense political mudslinging between Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin and Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor, who heads Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat).
Hamzah, who has been spearheading a revival tour of Sabah for Bersatu ahead of the state elections due anytime this year, has used the word to describe Hajiji and other former Bersatu state leaders for teaming up with Pakatan Harapan after the November 2022 general election.
The Bersatu No 2, a key player in the formation of the Perikatan Nasional-Barisan Nasional state government after the toppling of the Parti Warisan government in the 2020 state election, accused Hajiji and other leaders of being political opportunists.
In Sabah’s interior Keningau district three days ago, Hajiji, who is Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition chairman, hit back at Hamzah for calling him palui, saying it showed a lack of respect for Sabahans and Sabah leaders.
During a Sabah Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year walkabout at the popular Gaya Street Fair yesterday, Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin criticised Hajiji for his repeated used of the term to describe Hamzah during the gathering in Keningau.
“If you look at it, Hajiji became Chief Minister because of Hamzah. They are calling each other palui now,” he said, as he urged Sabahans to reject both Hajiji and Bersatu.
“The people of Sabah should not vote for a palui Chief Minister or a palui party. Vote for Barisan Nasional!” he added.
Sabah Barisan and Sabah Perikatan forged a coalition to topple the Warisan-Pakatan state government led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal in the September 2020 state election in the months after the then Pakatan federal government collapsed.
However, Bung Moktar pulled Sabah Barisan out of the coalition with GRS in January 2022, but Hajiji went on to survive the political coup when GRS backed the Pakatan-led federal unity government, forming a coalition with Sabah Pakatan at the state level.
Meanwhile, pro-GRS non-governmental organisation Gerakan Kuasa Rakyat Malaysia (G57) lodged a police report against Hamzah for his repeated use of the word palui, claiming that it was an insult to state leaders and Sabahans.
