Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Sabah is facing mounting internal challenges as the state moves closer to a widely expected election, with unresolved leadership disputes and fragmented communication threatening to undermine the coalition’s performance.

The friction stems from PH’s state leadership election in December 2024, which was intended to chart a unified course ahead of the polls. Instead, it has exposed persistent divisions among the coalition’s key partners — particularly within PKR, the largest component party.

Leadership dispute remains unresolved

On 1 December, Datuk Ewon Benedick of Upko was elected as Sabah PH chairman, narrowly defeating then-incumbent Datuk Christina Liew. However, the outcome was never fully accepted by PKR, which maintains that the position should remain with its representative.

Sabah PKR’s discontent intensified after state secretary Sazalye Donol brought the matter to national PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Sabah PKR chief Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the party followed procedure but is awaiting a decision from the national level.

“The process was done according to procedure, but confirmation must come from the top. The council was briefed on the state meeting’s proceedings in detail,” Mustapha said.

Prior to the vote, Mustapha had been seen as the likely candidate but withdrew late in the process in favour of Christina Liew. This paved the way for Ewon’s candidacy, which received backing from both DAP and Upko. He won by a margin of three votes.

Despite the formal outcome, the result left PKR dissatisfied. On 3 January, Sabah PKR leaders met with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor to explain the internal conflict — a move that has reportedly stalled dialogue between GRS and PH since.

What was once a coordinated coalition in Sabah now appears fractured, with each party increasingly issuing its own public statements rather than presenting a unified stance.

Such tensions were inflamed when Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin suggested the possibility of electoral cooperation with PH — a proposal met with resistance from both PKR and DAP, previously.

Both parties issued separate statements opposing the idea, signalling a shift away from PH’s previous practice of responding to major political developments through joint communiqués.

DAP under pressure to clarify position

Sabah DAP, meanwhile, has been given autonomy by its central leadership to reconsider its role in the Hajiji-led state government.

In December, following public scrutiny over corruption cases linked to figures associated with GRS and Umno, the party was instructed to gather feedback from the ground before deciding its next course of action.

Speaking in January, Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe said:

“We will listen to the people’s views… This feedback will help us decide what we need to do, and we will also bring this matter to Pakatan Harapan Sabah to discuss it further.”

No formal update has been provided since, and Sabah PH has yet to meet to deliberate on the matter. For now, DAP remains part of the state government.

PKR’s campaign launch highlights further discord

Internal disagreements within PKR surfaced again last week following a sudden launch of the party’s state election machinery on 17 May.

Sabah PKR information chief Razeef Rakimin criticised the event — officiated by PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah Anwar and Amirudin Shari — for being held without consultation with Sabah party leaders.

“I was bombarded with questions from the media and Keadilan members… but I didn’t answer because I truly didn’t know anything,” he said in a statement.

Razeef added that branch chiefs were only informed days before the launch, and that even PKR deputy president and election director Rafizi Ramli had not been briefed on the event.

The launch took place at the Sabah International Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu, while Rafizi was holding a separate event at ITCC Penampang. The lack of coordination between both sides underscored growing factionalism within the party.

Despite the disarray, 21 out of 25 Sabah PKR division chiefs have since expressed support for Nurul Izzah’s candidacy for the deputy presidency in the ongoing party election.

A coalition facing uncertainty

With no clear consensus on leadership, strategy, or alliance partners, questions continue to mount over Sabah PH’s preparedness for the upcoming polls.

While GRS remains a possible ally, internal strains following its own fallout with BN complicate any potential cooperation. At the same time, some GRS components remain cautious about engaging with PH, given the coalition’s current instability.

Analysts say that without urgent political realignment, Sabah PH risks heading into the election fragmented and lacking a coherent message — a scenario that could significantly diminish its influence in the state’s shifting political landscape. – May 20, 2025