Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan pointed out that Liew, the three-term Api-Api assemblyman, was ousted as Sabah PKR chief three years ago and then lost the state Pakatan Harapan chairmanship in December.

He said losing the Sabah PKR chairmanship was a particularly heavy blow for her, with nearly 20 of the 25 heads of divisions in the state expressing a loss of confidence in her leadership.

“That meant that they were not happy with how Christina was leading PKR in Sabah. She’s losing clout and influence, so it’s no surprise that she lost her post as Kota Kinabalu division chief.

“I think that, for Christina, the writing is on the wall,” he told FMT.

With Sabah required to hold its state election by the end of the year, Azmi believed that Liew would not get the chance to defend her seat for a fourth term as assemblyman.

He said current Sabah PKR chairman Mustapha Sakmud was a well-liked figure within the party and PH coalition, and that he could spark a shift in the PKR state chapter.

“PKR will be stronger in the upcoming seat negotiations for the state election if Mustapha is allowed to fully handle it,” he said. “Liew should gracefully step down and transition to a role behind the scenes.”

However, Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs believed that Liew may still have a shot at running in the state election, saying Sabah PKR was short of senior leaders like the current state tourism minister.

He also did not see Liew intending to step down just yet.

“On the one hand, Christina is perhaps the longest standing senior PKR leader in Sabah. On the other hand, those party defeats despite her continuous electoral wins are clear writings on the wall that there are yearnings for a new and reinvigorated party leadership.

“The problem, however, appears to be that without Christina, it is also difficult to find another senior leader who could fill her shoes,” said Oh.

Liew had lost the Kota Kinabalu PKR chief’s post to Lee Li Mei in a closely fought contest. The Api-Api assemblyman garnered 1,157 votes against Lee’s 1,381.

In December, she was replaced as Sabah PH chairman by Upko president Ewon Benedick, having held the post since 2017. This followed an internal election among Sabah PH’s top leaders, in which Liew lost by three votes to Ewon, a federal minister.

Liew later said she would focus on PKR’s party polls and the coming state election.