To say that the appointment of former Sabah Chief Minister Tun Musa Aman as the Sabah Governor has been controversial would be an understatement.
In reality, it triggered an earthquake of sorts in the political world, with seismic waves being felt throughout the nation.
Even Putrajaya received brickbats for its involvement, despite the fact that constitutionally, the appointment of the Sabah Governor rests solely with the Sabah state government.
The Prime Minister’s role is only limited to advising the Yang di-Pertua Agong in the appointment, but the process of recommendation is by the state government.
This was a fact that Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil had to highlight when responding to criticisms being levelled against the Prime Minister.
One criticism was made by the youth-based party MUDA, which lamented the Sabah Governor’s appointment, saying it was just another case of dead reforms (reformati) on the part of the Prime Minister.
The former Sabah Chief Minister has been an embodiment of the old regime that Pakatan Harapan and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have fought valiantly against.
But now in the position of Prime Minister, Anwar is seen to do the exact opposite of what he swore to uphold, and this was disappointing, at least to hardcore PH supporters and the people who fought for reforms.
Probably more interesting is the selection of Musa ahead of other candidates for the position.
There were many names that were bandied about, such as former Chief Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, former Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kitingan, and former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin.
No doubt, Musa’s credentials are undeniable. He was the longest-serving Sabah Chief Minister from 2003 to 2018, a period of 15 years.
The Sabah Governor’s journey from his small-town upbringing to holding Sabah’s highest political office highlights his enduring leadership and commitment to the state’s development.
After the 2018 general election when Barisan Nasional (BN) was defeated at the federal level, Musa seemed to retain his position as Chief Minister for what was supposed to be his fifth term in office after an apparent end to the state’s constitutional crisis.
The crisis in Sabah saw a hung assembly where both Musa-led Sabah BN and the opposing faction Warisan-PH obtained 29 seats each, two short of reaching a simple majority in the 60-person Sabah state assembly.
Sabah BN managed to get the numbers after the local opposition party STAR threw its support as well as its two seats in the Sabah assembly, making it 31 seats altogether.
However, in a twist, two days after Musa was sworn in, Sabah saw Warisan President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal being appointed as Chief Minister after six Sabah BN assemblymen defected to his coalition.
Musa was down, but he was not out; in 2020, he claimed to have the numbers, with 33 assemblymen in the Sabah assembly, which would mean that the state government had collapsed.
His opponent, sitting Chief Minister Shafie, however, decided to dissolve the state assembly, triggering a snap election.
Musa loomed in the political shadows ever since, but his appointment as Sabah Governor marked a stunning comeback in a position viewed as unassailable.
It appeared that he did have the last laugh over his detractors after being denied the path to office on two separate occasions.
Warisan, from its social media communications, has appeared to be against Musa’s appointment as Sabah Governor. One of its leaders even had to issue a statement over a fake poster of him congratulating the new head of state.
The question now, at least to observers, is what Musa’s appointment would mean to Sabah politics, particularly for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) with the Sabah state election just around the corner.
In Sabah politics, the role of the head of state has proved to be pivotal in settling or ending constitutional crises, and with Musa at the helm, one could see him being hands-on in that role.
On the question of him being partial to one faction over another, I think it is unlikely to happen, but with growing fears and resentment by Warisan — as well as the history between Shafie and Musa — there could be more than meets the eye.
But politics being what it is — “I scratch your back and you scratch mine” — it is possible that what we just witnessed is a chess piece being moved across the board.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Sarawak Tribune.
