COMPLETE this sentence: “In Sabah, political uncertainty revolves around....” Those in the know about the state’s Wild, Wild East politics will say, “TYT”.
I was in my hometown of Kota Kinabalu over the last few days to take the state’s political pulse.
When exactly state elections, due by October 2025, will be held depends on whether the current Governor’s term is renewed, or if not, who will replace him.
Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin’s term ends on Dec 31 this year. He has been Governor since 2011. The big question is whether Juhar’s term will be renewed. If not, then who will replace him?
If current Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor decides on X, the TYT’s term will not be renewed. If the CM doesn’t want X but wants another person, then he will renew the current TYT’s term. That is a dominant theory in Sabah.
If the CM wants the TYT post for Y, then he might call for snap polls this year so that the new CM can appoint Y – this is another theory. (I can’t reveal names just yet, sorry!)
There are three main power bases in Sabah politics: the CM’s office, the Istana (ie TYT), and the state secretary (ie a civil servant). In Sabah’s political history, there have been times when the Istana trumped the CM’s office (or the incoming elected CM).
As a journalist covering the Wild, Wild East politics since 1994, I have witnessed these historic power tussles. As a rookie journalist, I saw Sabah’s then chief minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan waiting in a vehicle for 36 hours outside the Istana in Kota Kinabalu. His party, PBS, had won 25 seats against Barisan Nasional’s 23 that night. For whatever reason, the then TYT made him wait to be sworn in as Sabah’s CM that year, a post Pairin had held since 1985.
Eventually, Pairin’s government collapsed after several PBS assemblymen defected.
(Trivia: Guess who was the Umno mastermind tasked with undemocratically buying up the YBs? Hint: The one who eventually began shouting “reformasi”.)
I also covered the political drama in 2018 when Barisan, which had ruled Sabah since 1994, won 29 seats, Parti Warisan and Pakatan Harapan also won 29, and Sabah Star got a hold of two seats. Sabah Star, under president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, sided with Barisan, and at midnight, Juhar swore in Tan Sri Musa Aman as CM, a post he had held since 2003.
In the next few hours, some Barisan assemblymen defected to support Warisan and Pakatan, which held the Federal Govern-ment under then prime minister Tun Dr Mahahthir Mohamad. Two days later, Juhar “sacked” Musa as CM in a case which was challenged in court, and the TYT appointed Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as chief minister. Musa’s legal team has argued that the TYT has the power to appoint the CM but not to sack him.
The other significant power the TYT has is that the CM needs to seek his consent to dissolve the state assembly. And that can be tricky. As one Sabah CM learned, the undated letter from the TYT to dissolve the state assembly that he held was illegal.
Even before I became a journalist, as a student, I followed the case of the two CMs of Sabah with interest: In 1985 PBS defeated the mighty Berjaya, which had ruled Sabah since 1976. PBS won 25 seats, its ally Pasok got one, Berjaya six, and Usno 16.
The day following the elections, Berjaya and Usno leaders convinced the TYT to appoint Usno leader Tun Mustapha Harun as CM. They argued that they had the majority with the appointment of six nominated assemblymen. Three hours later, the TYT revoked Mustapha’s appointment and swore in Pairin as CM.
All this history goes to show that there are times when the TYT, which is an appointed post, can be more powerful than the Sabah chief minister.
Eventually, Juhar will be replaced as TYT, so who will replace him, and how powerful will the new Sabah governor be?
If X becomes TYT, he would probably be the most powerful TYT yet in Sabah’s history. If it is Y, he would be a ceremonial Mr Nice Guy.
“Who becomes TYT will have a bearing on Sabah’s political future,” a Sabah political insider told me.
“If the new TYT is nonpolitical, he will not interfere with the political process. He will follow the Constitution.
“But if someone political is picked, he can choose which CM he wants.”
I asked several insiders whether a new TYT was a done deal. Some told me there will be a new Sabah governor when Juhar’s term ends on Dec 31.
But others said the deals can’t be relied upon as the dealmaker has issued too many bounced cheques.
If there is a change, Sabah might have a new power centre.
Now, complete this sentence: “The new Sabah TYT will be ....” Email your answers to sunday@thestar.com.my.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
