PR’s standpoint should be first priority to deprive BN’s Batu Sapi Parliamentary seat. That means if BN were not to contest – and assuming Yong Teck Lee’s SAPP is not collaborating behind the scenes with BN – who will, between PKR and SAPP, garner more votes from Batu Sapi’s voters.

If SAPP has the edge because SAPP is Sabah based – PKR’s election machinery is not that established there – if Yong Teck Lee being a former Chief Minister of Sabah and President of his party had better chances than Ansari who has no history of winning any election battles before – wouldn’t it better for PKR to give way to SAPP’s Yong so that votes against BN are not split???

The argument that a national based coalition like Pakatan Rakyat (PR) could offer Sabah the dire need of change better than a localised party like SAPP is valid only if it were assumed that SAPP would not join PR in a certain eventuality and at some point in the future.

What PR has done and its rhetoric against BN is to provoke in East Malaysia a sense that they have been neglected by ruling coalition BN concentrating its attention on West Malaysia.

So the stand Yong/SAPP is basically taking is that PR’s commitment to give attention to Sabah/East Malaysia is always subject to proof, the condition precedent of which is for PR to first position itself to be at vantage point to win the GE (in the eyes of SAPP). That depends on a myriad of factors one of them PKR’s own factionalism that is not exactly inspiring confidence on prospects.

Until that condition is met (from Yong’s perspective) he would rather opportunistically edge his bets and stay independent on premises that whilst Change is desired, the parochial interest of Sabah (after being neglected by West Malaysian politicians for so long) should come first. And whyu not if such parochial appeal gets most votes from locals?

If Yong/SAPP is not with PR, he is also not with the BN.

So if PR’s bigger and longer term plan is to dislodge the BN – and this Batu Sapi means a lot to morale of the contending parties in relation to the coming GE – it makes sense that PR and PKR should give way to SAPP/Yong if between the two, it can be objectively determined SAPP/Yong has the edge.

PR’s interest is not served by splitting the anti establishment votes because if BN wins Batu Sapi because of this split in the oppositions, the ruling coalition’s morale will be afforded a tremendous boost as far as preserving the status quo of their fixed deposit states in East Malaysia is concerned.

If chances of SAPP joining PR in the future are greater than it joining BN and if at this moment the parochial sentiments in Batu Sapi favour Yong/SAPP over Ansari/PKR, it makes no sense for PR/PKR to split the votes against BN, the common political adversary just in the short term interest of aspiring for political foot hole in Batu Sapi at this moment.

As it is it is already difficult, evn in a straight fight, to win against BN’s candidate Linda Tsen, who besides the incumbnt advantage of BN’s well money oiled machinery, will also get the sympathy votes. 3 cornered fight with SAPP & PKR (both opposed to BN) and also fighting each other offers the remotest of chance to upset BN’s applecart but only generate antipathy between PR and SAPP and wasting each other’s scarce financial electoral resources (as compared to BN’s) without compensating advantage.

For PR it is particular foolish if (assuming) it can be objectively determined that between SAPP & PKR on a standalone basis the former has a comparatively better chance against BN.

Yong/SAPP is for now not with the BN : otherwise why did they leave BN in first place? Yong/SAPP is for now concentrating on the parochial agenda of “Sabah for Sabahans”. No doubt that is not exactly symmetrical with PR’s agenda of national change for improvement of various institutions degraded – but one cannot exactly blame the Sabah party for taking such a parochial stand when (a) parochial sentiments of Sabah for Sabahan are stirred by PR itself when it constantly drums into their heads that Semenanjong politicians neglect them as a backwater state (b) SAPP/Yong takes the opportunistic ‘wait and see’ stand to assess if PR/Anwar have a chance to do what it professes to do ie have the capability to take over Putrajaya.

The last time Anwar talked of over 30 crossovers from East Malaysian lawmakers that came to nought. Surely when you invite someone to jump the mother ship into another better vessel it cannot be based on a promise that does not materialise. [One cannot expect the guy to jump and find when its too late there is no platform but only the cold seas awaiting him!]

When one talks about “Change” in national sense, the first prerequisite is still to dislodge BN first. To the extent that SAPP is there to further common intentions of opposing and dislodging BN, it is still an agent of it (ie Change) even if its electoral campaign places priority on “Sabah for Sabahan” instead of national better governance, restoration of integrity of institutions etc. To ask of SAPP to give an undertaking that it would not join BN if elected is demeaning to the image and claims of that party to independence. If the electoral theme and platform is ” Sabah is for Sabahan” then no Semananjong politician whether from BN or PR should be seen dictating to SAPP what to do in Sabahan’s best interest!

Yong already made it clear in respect of SAPP’s relations with PR – “We can be friends first. We can work together first. But we have not come to the point when we can answer the question of yes or no to us joining PR. It is not even in our agenda to join,” he said.

Is that wrong what he said? If one says he is politically opportunistic and double guiltly for playing on parochial sentiments of ‘Sabah for Sabahans’ then he is no more opportunistic and guilt than the rest of politicians on both sides of th political divide who take a stand that best maximises the garnering of votes to win.

There is therefore only on justification for PR to field its candidate, and that is if between PR ‘s and SAPP’s candidate Batu Sapi’s voters will vote overwhelmingly in favour of the PR’s candidate.

Thus far I have not heard anyone familiar with Sabah’s politics assert that this is the case. Therefore I am not convinced that there is any good reason at all for PR to activate a 3 cornered fight in this Batu Api by- election.