Ph Bn Lack Leader Who S Sabah Cm Material Says Analyst

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 Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional are expected to be hard-pressed to find a suitable ‘poster boy’ for the Sabah state election.
The Sabah state assembly’s term ends on Nov 12, and elections must be held within 60 days after the assembly is dissolved.PETALING JAYA: Political analysts expect Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional to be hard-pressed to find a suitable “poster boy” for the Sabah state election, after the two coalitions announced a pact for the polls
“The problem is there is no one single PH or BN leader who is prominent enough to be the poster boy as their chief minister candidate,” said Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
Abdul Rahman Dahlan.Another analyst, Bilcher Bala of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, said there were other leaders Sabah Umno could turn to as possible chief minister candidates, such as former federal minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan and  former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak.
Oh told FMT that PKR was relatively weak in Sabah; although DAP was the stronger partner, it would be virtually impossible to have a Sabah chief minister from DAP. With Amanah having little to no presence in Sabah, this meant the poster boy would have to come from BN.
Salleh Said Keruak.However, Oh did not see anyone suitable in BN as well.
Bilcher said it was unwise of Sabah Umno to name Bung Moktar Radin as its prospective candidate, as Bung was bogged down by his ongoing corruption case.
“Although he has extensive experience and influence in Sabah politics, the legal issues he’s facing could affect the image of the PH-BN alliance and hamper the confidence of voters.
“Therefore, choosing a figure who is free of controversies would be the more strategic move to ensure greater support at the polls,” he said.
Bilcher said PKR would not have a shot at putting forward a poster boy since it was “quite weak” in Sabah,
Another UMS analyst, Lee Kuok Tiung, expected PH and BN to face a tough time even negotiating and reaching a consensus on their poster boy, and all the more if Hajiji Noor’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah joins the alliance.
“I believe that they will have a headache to reach a consensus on who their poster boy is,” he said. “But it’s not impossible to reach.”
The Sabah state assembly’s term will expire on Nov 12. Elections must be held within 60 days of the assembly being dissolved.
Bung Moktar Radin.Last week, Sabah Umno proposed that Bung be named Sabah BN’s poster boy for the elections. However, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi played down the proposal as being premature.
Yesterday, the unity government secretariat announced that PH and BN have agreed to work together for the elections, following a meeting between their chairmen, Anwar Ibrahim and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The secretariat said the discussions on the form of cooperation, including seat distribution and possible talks with other parties, would be handled jointly by both the PH and BN leadership in Sabah.
However, it said all decisions would then be finalised by the PH and BN national leadership. - FMT

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