Supreme Council member Saifuddin Abdullah said that when the majority of Sabah Bersatu candidates and leaders spoke out after the election, the first reaction from leaders in Peninsular Malaysia should not have been anger or criticism.
“Listen to them and understand them. Do not arrogantly point fingers, assign blame, or tell them to leave (the party) and dissolve Sabah Bersatu.
“As a party with a soul, we should be proud of them. Most contested as novices and gave it their all.
“Some had to make sacrifices, incur debts, and even sell their cars. Yet they still upheld the party’s good name during the election,” he wrote in his Merentas Ruang column, published by Sinar Harian.
The Sabah election on Nov 29 saw all 33 Bersatu candidates contesting under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) banner defeated, including vice-president Ronald Kiandee in the Sugut state seat.
On Dec 3, Sabah Bersatu secretary Yunus Nordin urged Muhyiddin Yassin to resign as Bersatu president and PN chairman, citing the heavy losses.
He described the election results as “embarrassing” and “a major blow” to the party machinery, candidates and grassroots members.
The following day, eight Bersatu leaders in Sabah said that full responsibility should instead fall on Kiandee and party election director Hamzah Zainudin.
Saifuddin, the MP for Indera Mahkota, said that political analyses and actions concerning Sabah must begin with an understanding of the local context and respect for the views of state leaders who are closer to the realities on the ground.
He said that Hamzah, Bersatu’s deputy president, met with the party’s candidates in Kota Kinabalu on Dec 8.
“He listened attentively to their reports and perspectives,” Saifuddin said, adding that Hamzah had worked hard in the run-up to the election, and made frequent trips to Sabah over the past three years.
He said Hamzah also assisted Kiandee in revitalising Bersatu divisions in the state after the formation of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.
“Hamzah has helped with the Jelajah Rakyat 2025 programme since January. For the Sabah election, he assisted both before and during the polls, except on Nov 18 when he attended a meeting of Bersatu MPs with Muhyiddin.
“‘Helping on the ground’ means providing support in every way, not just superficially,” he said.