(Another) Mutiny in Sabah PKR?
Sabah’s political grapevine is frothing with rumour of Lajim Ukin getting ready to take over the Sabah PKR leadership.
(FMT) – First it was Tamparuli assemblyman Wilfred Bumburing who declined to play second fiddle to Sabah PKR and was reportedly mulling either forming or taking over an existing local party.
Now word is that Lajim Ukin is set to slice-off the party’s current state leadership and takeover the reigns.
Sabah’s political grapevine is frothing with rumour of Lajim and Bumburing’s moves. Both are newcomers to PKR, having defected from Barisan Nasional last July and pledging support to Anwar Ibrahim.
Both contested in the May 5 general elections under the PKR ticket. Former Tuaran MP, Bumburing lost his incumbency but won the Tamparuli state seat. Lajim, who was formerly Beaufort MP, also lost his incumbency but won the Klias state seat.
Lajim is now contesting the election results for Beaufort. He lost the seat to Umno’s Azizah Dun by a 673 votes.
Post-GE13, Lajim had reportedly said he would set aside his NGO platform PPPS and join Sabah PKR, a decision which many here had anticipated.
At the time of his defection, speculations were rife that Lajim had struck a ‘deal’ with with PKR central pending the outcome of GE.
His entry into Sabah PKR last year was divisive and riddled with controversy.
PKR won an unprecedented nine seats in the GE13. Its partner DAP took three.
Ahmad Thamrin Jaini has been Sabah PKR chief for sometime. He contested and lost in the Gum-Gum state seat in last month’s GE.
The way it stands, the inner circles within a divided state PKR see him as politically impotent, more so after he failed to admit that he was fully aware of Tuaran PKR divison leader Ansari Abdullah’s plan to pre-announce the GE13 candidates ‘recommended and approved’ by several divisions within Sabah.
