Sabah show over, now for the biggie

AFTER two weeks of heated campaigning, the dust has finally settled on the Sabah state election with voters going to the polls today – but don’t put away that popcorn yet because there’s a lot more drama coming.

And it won’t just be about the formation of the Sabah government after an election which could throw up some crazy results.

The real action could well be in the peninsula. With the Federal Government said to be preparing for simultaneous elections in all states there, things could get really hot, and real soon.

The last general election was in November 2022, so the Federal Government actually has two more years on its tenure, so there is no rush.

However, Melaka held its last election on Nov 20, 2021, so that state has to go to the polls by the end of the coming year. And all states, along with the Federal Government, may join in.

The indications are there. One major party has told its members to be ready. In fact, silly season has already begun.

If there is one man to stir things up, it is Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.

He can always be counted on for entertainment. And he has delivered. After sleeping on it for a few years, he has suddenly woken up again to the realisation that Penang actually “belongs” to Kedah.

Never mind the facts. The Mentri Besar seems to live in a world of his own, one that promises the heavens, the sky, and everything else.

While his party, PAS, actually promises a place in heaven to voters, Sanusi promised projects, almost none of which has been delivered.

The Kedah Aerotropolis? On the shelf. The fancy race track and Monaco-like development of Langkawi? In the scrapyard. The RM40bil Langkasuka project that was to rival Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah? Abandoned.

Now, he is back to his favourite, old topic: Penang.

He is digging into centuries-old history in a bid to get more money from the Federal Government for what he claims is “lease payment”.

The facts, of course, say different. That lease agreement is, well,... history. It has nothing to do with modern Malaysia.

Today, there is only one document that matters, the Federal Constitution.

And here’s what it says, right at the start. Article 1(a) states that the “Federation shall be known as Malaysia”.

The very next thing, Article (2) says: “The States of the Federation shall be Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor and Terengganu.”

There’s nothing there that says any state belongs to any other state, or is leased to another.

The Constitution supersedes any archaic agreement signed between any other people at some ancient date. It’s as simple as that.

It does not really matter if an ancient Kedah ruler or a Thai king signed a deal with a white man who came here to do business and made false promises. We have enough false promises from current politicians.

It also does not matter if a former prime minister, who is from Kedah, had decided to use federal coffers to pay a large sum as lease for Penang to the state. That’s a problem between him and Kedah. It has nothing to do with Penang.

Kedah now wants to take the matter to court. I seriously doubt it will come to that. But the rhetoric will make for nice soundbites before any election.

I do hope, though, that the matter does go to court so the judges can end all that talk about a lease and cancel all payments, once and for all.

Meanwhile, other PAS politicians are making their own promises. After banning gambling in all four states they control, some are claiming that they will allow 4D shops to operate in states like Selangor or Sabah if they win.

Does anybody really believe that? I would rather believe that Sanusi can actually deliver on his promised projects. And right now, he has a flood of issues to worry about.

Then, there is MIC. In a shocking move at their general assembly, the delegation was asked to stand up if they agreed to a proposal to pull out of Barisan Nasional and join Perikatan Nasional.

To a man, they all did. The proposal was passed. But even as newsmen were typing out their story, things changed. Their stand would not count. It was actually up to the leaders to make a decision.

The one thing the leaders promised was that they would continue to support Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister had sent them flowers.

So much for a move to Perikatan. Personally, I am glad that MIC stepped back from the brink, but we will have to wait and see what unfolds.

So far, though, all that tough talk is just talk. MIC remains as it was weeks ago.

Oh, and there’s one more thing. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is back. And when that consummate politician steps out of the shadows and starts rattling his sabre, you know for sure that something is afoot.

Already allegations are flying, one major resignation has happened, and a flurry of police reports are being lodged.

The entertainment has just begun.

Somebody get me some more popcorn.