Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s (UMS) Syahruddin Awang Ahmad said most KDM-based parties like Parti Bersatu Sabah, Upko, and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat are formally part of the Hajiji Noor state administration.
“Warisan really needs STAR, and this is Shafie Apdal’s strategy to penetrate parliamentary and state constituencies where the KDM community make up the majority,” he told FMT.
“Shafie understands that Kitingan may still be dissatisfied with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government, having received only a low-profile post at the state level.
“Warisan sees this as an opportunity to make STAR a strategic partner for the next general election (GE16) and future state assembly elections,” said Syahruddin.
Kitingan, the STAR president and former GRS deputy chairman, was appointed chairman of the Sabah Agricultural Marketing Authority in April, despite saying he would sit in the opposition. STAR’s only other assemblyman, Ishak Ayub, is an assistant minister.
In the Sabah polls last November, Warisan emerged as the party with the most number of seats with 25, but continued to lose out in KDM-majority areas.
Shafie’s party continued to dominate the east coast of Sabah and made major inroads in urban, Chinese-majority seats as it wiped DAP out of the legislative assembly.
On the other hand, GRS retained a good chunk of KDM support, going on to form the Sabah government with the backing of Upko, Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, and others.
Speculation of a Warisan-STAR tie-up was sparked by Shafie’s presence at a Kaamatan celebration in Keningau over the weekend. The Warisan president was invited by Kitingan, who is deputy president of the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association.
Nonetheless, Lee Kuok Tiung, also of UMS, said this should not be immediately interpreted as signs of a political cooperation for GE16, as the Kaamatan celebrations are not limited by partisan lines or political ideologies.
Lee added that the recent speculation was largely influenced by online discussions over the apparent closeness between the Warisan and STAR presidents.
“If both parties truly decide to form a political alliance in the future, they will need the blessing of their respective grassroots,” he said.