STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan risks becoming a “casualty” at the 17th Sabah state election after several party leaders broke ranks to back Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), analyst Syahrudin Awang Ahmad said.
Syahrudin, who heads the Borneo Geo-Politics & Electoral Studies think tank, told FMT that Kitingan’s decision to pull STAR out of the ruling coalition, believed to be unilateral, has angered the grassroots.
“Loyalty to the party president is taking a back seat as leaders prioritise winning in Sabah’s unpredictable landscape,” he said, adding there is a chance “top guns” could fall, without ruling out Kitingan.
He said Kitingan is paying the price for recent decisions and, with the assembly dissolved and polls due within 60 days, has limited options to find a strategic partner.
Kitingan announced STAR’s exit from GRS on Wednesday night, citing the coalition’s pact with Pakatan Harapan and saying he would “go alone” if others disagreed. Last night, he said he accepted the decision of five STAR leaders to continue supporting GRS.
Those breaking ranks include deputy president Ellron Alfred Angin and vice-presidents Abidin Madingkir, Annuar Ayub and Flovia Ng, who attended chief minister Hajiji Noor’s announcement dissolving the state assembly.
Ellron later confirmed that the party’s Muslim Bumiputera counterpart, Robert Tawik, would also stick with GRS. Earlier, Kuamut division chief Mandik Yadam pledged loyalty to GRS, saying the division would not field a candidate and would support Hajiji’s coalition.
An election must be held within 60 days of dissolution.
