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Key Highlights
Anwar has the number
Hajiji has the numbers?
Shamsul, Albert arrested
Anwar has the number
Pakatan Harapan chief Anwar Ibrahim’s persistent quest to bolster his coalition and party’s numbers in the polls, backfired in spectacular fashion in Sabah.
Despite inserting himself into the narrative by taking charge of PKR’s election machinery, and forming a “love triangle” with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and BN - Anwar’s party PKR only won in one out of 13 seats it had candidates in.
Worse yet, the seat it bagged, Melalap, was won by a party hopper. Even Sabah Governor Musa Aman’s son, Yamani Hafez, was unable to bag a seat for PKR.
PKR’s Harapan partners DAP and Amanah fared worse, failing to win any seats.
Despite just having one seat, PKR was the first party to announce that a new state government would be formed with its backing.
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Hajiji has the numbers?
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairperson Hajiji Noor is the chief minister again, but it’s not clear whether he had the numbers when he was sworn in.
GRS had won only 29 seats - eight short of a simple majority - and, as of writing, there has been no official list detailing its partners.
At the time he was sworn in, his only known allies were Harapan (1) and Upko (3) - which adds up to 32 seats.
It was believed that five independents had aligned with him, giving him 37. However, there has been no official confirmation of this.
Later, after Hajiji was sworn in, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) pledged its two seats to him. Meanwhile, there are mixed signals from BN on whether it too will join the state government.
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Shamsul, Albert arrested
One day before Sabahans went to the polls, MACC officers in the peninsula arrested businessperson Albert Tei and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s former aide Shamsul Iskandar Akin.
Also arrested was a woman whom Tei claimed was Shamsul’s proxy.
This comes after allegations that Shamsul took money from Tei, and also purportedly told the businessperson to record his incriminating videos of Sabah politicians discussing alleged bribes.
Tei’s arrest was a dramatic affair with armed MACC officers in balaclavas raiding his home.
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Views that matter
 | By Bridget Welsh |
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