THE view that Sabah is ripe for the taking by the opposition due to the popularity of Mohd Shafie Apdal’s Parti Warisan Sabah has taken a hit, following an analyst’s projection that the state will remain in Barisan Nasional’s hands.

Arnold Puyok, of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, told a forum in Kuala Lumpur today that BN will remain in power, albeit with “weak” Kadazandusun partners.

He said BN would likely retain Sabah by winning a total of 45 seats, and Pakatan Harapan and Warisan would win just 15.

He said BN would likely take 21 parliamentary seats, and the opposition, four.

“The four- and five-cornered fights, these are really a spoiler,” he said, adding that BN could take half of the votes, with PH and local parties vying for the remaining votes.

“Parti Bersatu Sabah president Joseph Pairin (Kitingan) remains with (caretaker) chief minister Musa (Aman).

“Shafie is attempting to get Kadazandusun support from BN because he didn’t get enough Kadazandusun leaders to support Warisan.”

He said PH components PKR and DAP “seriously lack political ability and savviness”, and that “there are not enough credible and trustworthy opposition leaders to talk about policies”.

He said Warisan and PH face a “significant challenge” from local opposition parties, such as the State Reform Party, Sabah Progressive Party, Parti Anak Negeri, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah and Parti Cinta Sabah.

Puyok said the local opposition front has failed to address issues that most concern rural voters, such as the rising cost of living, and the goods and services tax.

“When we talk about Sabah, we should also talk about (caretaker prime minister) Najib (Razak). Najib is trying very, very hard, because Sabah is his fixed deposit. BN leaders are trying to portray Najib as a benevolent leader for Sabah.

“When I look at (PH chairman) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad), I may be wrong, but he does not have a specific policy for Sabah. What is he going to do to restore the rights of Sabahans?

“Overall, Dr Mahathir remains a divisive figure.” – May 2, 2018.