Reactions to Borneo's SAPP Press Conference

By now the whole country (Malaysia), for that matter the whole of Borneo island, know about what party president Yong Teck Lee and Tawau MP Dr Chua Soon Bui said at the press conference of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) this afternoon. It's no longer news.

The nation's, in particular the state's (Sabah) attention is now focused on the reactions to SAPP's plan and the possible scenario that follows. Would SAPP leave BN after its supreme council meeting on Friday or would it get kicked out even before then? Would SAPP succeed? Would Yong get the support that he is supposed to get from the 82 Opposition MPs plus some other BN MPs especially from Sarawak as planned, after meeting defacto Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim twice? Or would SAPP be played out come next week in Parliament just as PBS was played out in 1990?

Would the two hitherto outspoken UMNO MPs from Sabah, Ghapur Salleh and Anifah Aman, support Yong's move? Ghapur, a State Assemblyman-turned-MP, and Anifah, brother of the Sabah CM, had both turned down the offer of Deputy Ministers in the federal government; fuelling speculation that they would be among the first BN MPs to jump over to the Opposition.

And if the Prime Minister (Pak Lah) survives the vote of no-confidence, what would happen to SAPP especially its 2 MPs and 4 State Assemblymen? Even if SAPP succeed in toppling Pak Lah but if the new Prime Minister is still from UMNO, what good would that do to SAPP especially if the party is already out of BN by then?

On the other hand, if Anwar and Yong succeed, what would be the latter's role in the new Malaysian government? All these and many others are the questions playing in the mind of Malaysians especially Sabahans right now. Only God knows.

A Dayak or Iban-based political party from Sarawak was supposed to have follow the footsteps of PBS who pulled out from BN on the eve of the 1990 nationwide general election but our neighbour chickened out last minute, leaving PBS in the lurch. The Semangat 46-led Gagasan Rakyat of Tengku Razaleigh which PBS joined together with DAP and PAS then failed to topple the UMNO-led BN and this left PBS being in the opposition at the parliamentary level despite being the state government. Will history repeat itself?

Anyway, first thing first, the most important reaction that Malaysians have been waiting for is that of the man himself - the Prime Minister. Pak Lah (pic) did react this evening - albeit a very brief one. He simply said, according to the national news agency Bernama, that Yong's action was due to the fact that "I have not been able to satisfy his personal greed." Abdullah did not elaborate. However, his aides told Bernama that the Prime Minister would elaborate at a later date.

Meanwhile, Sabah Chief Minister and State BN chief Datuk Musa Aman expressed disappointment over SAPP's declaration. "I am not sure what is SAPP's real motive in making such a statement," he said in a statement.

"As a BN component party president, Yong's act was uncalled for and unprecedented in the spirit of camaraderie adopted by BN all this while."