Sabah S Blackwave Indie Mp Cites Vision As Quiet Power Broker

---

 


INTERVIEW | When Verdon Bahanda speaks of politics, he talks not of victory, but of leverage.
The Kudat MP, who won his seat as an independent in GE15, believes power lies not in numbers, but in timing amid Sabah’s volatile political shifts.
Verdon expects the upcoming Sabah election, to be called on Nov 29, to have a similar outcome to the 2018 state election, where no single party won enough seats to form the government, resulting in a hung assembly.
“We have to be realistic. When we’re talking about something new, especially in politics, you cannot say you are aiming too high.
ADS“What I try to do here is to be in the government after the election, then we can show how a representative who represents the people can work independently,” he said in a recent interview.
In Sabah, where no one bloc can govern outright, Verdon’s movement sits in a delicate yet pivotal lane, less a self-styled kingmaker than a product of a politics that rewards patience.
“Power,” he said quietly, “is the only way to protect the people. Without it, you are just talking.”
Sabah’s last hung assembly in 2018 taught local politicians a practical lesson: no single bloc can rule for long without bargaining power.
Since then, alliances have shifted as easily as tides.
The Sabah state assembly buildingParti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) sided with BN after the hung assembly, but was later denied power when Upko defected to support Warisan’s government.
Upko then joined Harapan at the federal level, only to swing again in 2023 to back Chief Minister Hajiji Noor’s GRS to keep it in power after BN withdrew support.
The episode laid bare a familiar Sabah truth: loyalty is fluid, and power often changes hands long before the votes do.
Verdon’s Blackwave movement, a loose alliance of self-funded independents, is designed to thrive in such political uncertainty.
Power before parties
The Blackwave, he said, is “a bond of friendship” or “brotherhood” rather than a political party.
“Most of the candidates came to me. They think they can work with me.
ADS“More than 73 came forward, but we agreed on 15 so far. We fight not as a party but as a bond of friendship,” he explained, while not dismissing the possibility that there would be more candidates.
His strategy is simple, not to win outright, but to matter when others cannot.
“In the event of a hung assembly, the first thing we want to hear is the offer from all parties who want to form a government with us,” he said.
“Whoever offers us the bigger power, then we will collaborate with them,” said the senior politician, who made no apologies for the power broker approach.
“Everyone says Verdon wants to be in power. I’d be stupid to say, if I’m in politics, I don’t want power. Because power is what will defend the rights of the people.”
Other parties suspected of planning the same approach include Star, which left the GRS coalition on Oct 2, as well as Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), Upko, and DAP, which are reportedly considering contesting under their own logos instead of under the Harapan banner.
They are largely seen as parties that may not win big in the election, but merely retain their strongholds to later bargain with Sabah’s political giants - Warisan, GRS, and BN - to tip the balance of power.
KDM deputy president Wetrom Bahanda, who is Kota Marudu MP and Vernon’s older brother, has since confirmed plans to move from his Bandau state seat to contest in their hometown of Matunggong in the upcoming 17th state election.
‘A Warning from the North’
However, behind Vernon’s talk of influence appears to be a deeper anxiety about Sabah’s direction.
He warned that the state could “go bankrupt by 2045” if its energy sector and resource management remain unchanged.
“By 2030, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd will be fully handed over to Sabah. If we don’t correct the current situation, our debt every year will be more than RM1 billion because of gas,” said Vernon, adding that generous electricity rates offered to large industrial investors are a long-term financial risk.
“If this trend keeps on going, we will lose more than RM5 billion in subsidies over 10 years,” he warned.
“We have to stop all of this. And the only way to stop it, I have to be in the government.”
Verdon also insisted that independence gives him the freedom that party members lack.
“When you tie up with a party, you have a very big limitation. You are controlled by somebody when you become a wakil rakyat in any party,” he said.
His speeches in Parliament often centre on Sabah’s 40 percent revenue entitlement under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and state rights.
“We have been cheated for many, many years. None of them, including the prime minister, can say that I am lying,” he said.
As such, he narrated a vision of how the Blackwave can function as a “pressure group within government” - a counterweight to both federal dominance and Sabah’s entrenched political blocs.
All 15 Blackwave candidates are self-funded, a reflection of Verdon’s belief in independence from political financiers.
“We have to reverse people’s thinking in politics. We don’t want people to owe politicians. We want politicians to owe people,” he said.
“If the people have confidence in the leaders in Blackwave, maybe we will translate this platform into a party.
“But for now, we have to show our way first,” he said.
In a contest unlikely to yield clear winners, Verdon’s movement has settled into a slim but strategic corridor - a role conferred by circumstance and patience, not proclamation. - Mkini

---