Monday, January 06, 2020

'PRK Kimanis: tidak ubah status quo, medan lonjak moral parti'@Bernama, 6 Januari 2020





Tarikh kemaskini: 06/01/2020


Oleh Muhammad Ammar Shafiq Hamzah dan Rohana Nasrah

KIMANIS, 6 Jan -- Kemenangan mana-mana calon bagi merebut kerusi Parlimen Kimanis pada Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) 18 Jan ini, tidak mungkin mengubah status quo di Dewan Rakyat, namun kejayaan diperoleh akan menjadi lonjakan moral kepada parti berkenaan di persada politik nasional.

Penganalisis politik Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Ramli Dollah berkata, PRK Kimanis mampu memberi kesan signifikan dari segi psikologi kerana ia berupaya meningkatkan moral setiap parti bertanding terutama jika berdepan kemungkinan PRK lain, mahupun Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 (PRU15) akan datang.

Beliau berkata PRK tersebut juga akan menjadi kayu pengukur sejauh mana sokongan rakyat terhadap Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) dan rakan sekutunya, Pakatan Harapan (PH) yang kini, masing-masing menerajui pentadbiran negeri Sabah dan Malaysia sejak PRU14 pada Mei 2018.

“Kemenangan biasanya akan membawa kesan domino kepada pilihan raya lain. Terutamanya dalam kalangan pengundi atas pagar. Kemenangan satu parti akan mengubah persepsi terhadap mereka.

“Walaupun kemenangan pada PRK Kimanis tidak menukar status quo (di Parlimen), ia penting kepada psikologi parti dan pengundi. Lebih-lebih lagi dalam usaha menuju PRU15 kerana ia juga mampu memberi keyakinan kepada pengundi (terhadap parti) terutama pengundi atas pagar,” katanya kepada Bernama.

PRK Parlimen Kimanis bakal menyaksikan pertembungan satu lawan satu antara calon Warisan dan Barisan Nasional (BN).

Warisan mempertaruhkan Ketua Bahagian Warisan Kimanis, Datuk Karim Bujang, 67 manakala BN diwakili Datuk Mohamad Alamin, 48, yang juga Ketua Bahagian UMNO Kimanis.

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) menetapkan hari mengundi PRK Kimanis pada 18 Jan manakala hari pengundian awal 14 Jan ini.

Parlimen Kimanis mempunyai dua kawasan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) - Bongawan dan Membakut.

Mengenai calon, Ramli berkata Karim mempunyai kelebihan untuk memenangi PRK ini, lebih-lebih lagi beliau merupakan calon tempatan ‘orang Kimanis’ selain pernah menjadi wakil rakyat Bongawan selama lima penggal dari 1990 hingga 2013.

Di samping itu, Ramli berkata kekuatan Karim turut didukung oleh partinya, Warisan yang mentadbir kerajaan Sabah, selain mendapat sokongan daripada PH.

“Sebagai parti pemerintah sama ada di peringkat negeri dan nasional, ini kekuatan kepada calon bertanding. Calon parti pemerintah mampu memberi beberapa perkara yang tidak dapat diberikan oleh parti pembangkang,” jelasnya.

Ramli, yang juga pensyarah kanan Fakulti Kemanusiaan, Seni dan Warisan UMS, bagaimanapun, berkata wujud cabaran besar kepada Karim terutama berdepan dengan beberapa isu berbangkit melibatkan kerajaan ketika ini terutama isu berkaitan janji di peringkat negeri dan nasional.

Isu tersebut akan menjadi tentangan hebat buat Karim selain menguji kemampuannya menangkis segala serangan daripada pihak pembangkang secara profesional dan ilmiah, katanya.

Sementara itu, penganalisis politik Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, berkata, senario politik Sabah adalah unik dan berbeza daripada situasi di Semenanjung.

Justeru, beliau berkata BN tidak boleh menggunakan faktor kemenangan dalam PRK Tanjung Piai pada November lalu, sebagai indikator bahawa sentimen pengundi yang sama akan dilihat pada PRK Kimanis.

“Di sini (Kimanis) masyarakatnya berbeza. Isunya juga berbeza seperti Perjanjian Malaysia 1963 (MA63), isu royalti minyak di samping isu kos sara hidup dan isu kenegerian amat penting untuk dilihat oleh BN dan Warisan,” katanya.

Mengulas signifikan PRK Kimanis kepada Warisan dan rakan sekutunya PH, Sivamurugan berkata, PRK ini sangat penting buat mereka terutamanya dalam memberi motivasi dan keyakinan dalam memasuki tahun baru 2020.

“PRK ini juga penting kerana ia bakal menguji kepimpinan Presiden Warisan yang juga Ketua Menteri Sabah, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal setelah hampir dua tahun memegang tampuk pemerintahan kerajaan negeri.

“Warisan mempunyai beberapa wakil parti itu di peringkat pusat, dan ini semestinya memberi kelebihan dari sudut jentera serta logistik. Shafie juga semestinya akan menggunakan sepenuhnya jentera parti kerana calon datang dari Warisan,” katanya.

Sivamurugan berkata selain perlu menangani sesuatu isu dengan berkesan, faktor calon dan keberkesanan jentera parti bakal menjadi penentu kemenangan kepada mana-mana parti yang bertanding pada PRK itu.

PRK Parlimen Kimanis diadakan selepas Mahkamah Persekutuan pada 2 Dis lepas mengekalkan keputusan Mahkamah Pilihan Raya Kota Kinabalu yang membatalkan kemenangan bekas Menteri Luar, Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, yang ketika itu bertanding atas tiket BN, bagi kerusi itu.

Mahkamah Pilihan Raya Kota Kinabalu pada 16 Ogos lalu memutuskan bahawa kemenangan Anifah di kerusi itu sebagai tidak sah dan terbatal selepas mendapati ada kertas undi tambahan yang boleh menjejaskan keputusan pilihan raya.

Daftar pemilih bagi PRK Parlimen Kimanis merangkumi 29,664 pengundi yang terdiri daripada 29,654 pengundi biasa, sembilan pengundi awal dan seorang pengundi tidak hadir luar negara.

-- BERNAMA

'Kimanis by-election outcome: status quo won't change but winning party gets morale boost'@Bernama, 6 January 2020

Kimanis by-election outcome: status quo won't change but winning party gets morale boost




Last update: 06/01/2020


By Muhammad Ammar Shafiq Hamzah and Rohana Nasrah

KIMANIS, Jan 5 -- The victory of any party in the Kimanis parliamentary by-election on Jan 18 will not change the status quo in Parliament but it will provide a morale boost to the winning political party.

According to Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) political analyst Ramli Dollah, the Kimanis by-election will be significant from the psychological aspect, as the boost to the winning party will be useful in the next potential by-election or the 15th general election.

The by-election will also serve as a yardstick for public support for Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) and its partner, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance, with Warisan leading the state government in Sabah, and PH leading the federal government, after securing the general election in May 2018.

"In any election, a win will usually have a domino effect on other elections, particularly among voters on the fence," the senior lecturer at the university's Humanities, Arts and Heritage Faculty told Bernama recently, adding that in particular, it could give such voters confidence in the winning party as it gears up for the 15th general election.

The Jan 18 by-election will see a one-on-one contest between Warisan's Datuk Karim Bujang, 67, and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Mohamad Alamin, 48. Both men are the Kimanis division chiefs for Warisan and UMNO respectively.

The Election Commission has fixed Jan 14 for early voting. The Kimanis area has two state constituencies comprising Bongawan and Membakut.

Ramli believes that of the two candidates, Karim possesses the advantage in securing a win, particularly because he is a local and a five-term assemblyman for Bongawan from 1990 to 2013.

Karim also draws strength from the support of his party and its partnership with the PH alliance, said Ramli, adding that being a candidate from a governing party at either state or national level, is a strength in itself.

Nevertheless, Ramli observes that Karim faces immense challenges in the form of current issues concerning the government particularly promises made at state and national level.

The Warisan candidate will also be tested in terms of his ability to deal with all kinds of attacks from the opposition, the analyst added.

To Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), the political scenario in Sabah is unique and different compared to that in Peninsular Malaysia, and as such, he believes BN should not rely on its win in the Tanjung Piai by-election in November last year, as an indication that voters in Kimanis would share similar sentiments.

"The community in Kimanis is different. The issues are also different, such as the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the issue of oil royalties, alongside cost of living and statehood issues," he said.

On the significance of the Kimanis by-election to Warisan and its partner PH, Sivamurugan said it was tremendously important, mainly in terms of providing motivation and confidence in 2020.

The by-election will also serve as a test for the leadership of Warisan president and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal who has been at the helm for almost two years.

"Warisan has a few party representatives at federal level, and this definitely provides an advantage in terms of party machinery and logistics. Shafie will also surely use the full complement of the party machinery because the candidate is from Warisan," Sivamurugan said.

The Kimanis by-election follows the Federal Court ruling on Dec 2 last year to uphold the decision of the Kota Kinabalu Election Court which cancelled the win by BN candidate and former Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman for the same seat during the 14th general election on May 9, 2018.

In its decision on Aug 16 last year, the Election Court ruled that Anifah's win was invalid following the discovery of additional ballot papers that could have compromised the election outcome.

There are a total of 29,664 registered voters in the Kimanis parliamentary constituency.

-- BERNAMA

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