THE PEOPLE OF SABAH HAVE SPOKEN
Barring some exceptions, voters booted out party hoppers and poor performers
THE people of Sabah gave their mandate for a new government on Saturday, affirming that they will be the judge of deeds, promises and shortcomings from the state administration.
Results at a glance show that voters indeed punished partyhoppers and those who failed to perform to expectations, although there were exceptions where personalities outweighed the shift in political allegiance.
The outcome also drew some common lines of support from the people, dividing them based on the communities they belong to in the state.
The Chinese community was solid in urban areas, while Muslim Bumiputeras in the west and east coasts voted very differently, with the exception of a few constituencies.
Then, there are the rural interior voters, who are mostly natives often referred to as the Kadazandusun and Murut, or KDM, but they also include the Rungus, Sungai, Lundayoh, Bisaya, Idaan and Kedayan.
Of the 447 candidates who contested 73 constituencies, the fights were largely between the two major alliances of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Warisan Plus.
GRS, made up of Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), won 38 seats, with three independents stating that they are aligned with the coalition.
BN comprises Umno, MCA and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah, while PN is made up of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Party.
GRS won most of the seats it contested in the west coast, recapturing a few that were won by Warisan in the last election, thus strengthening its presence in KDM areas and pulling off a few surprises in a few east coast seats.
Several PN candidates won in their maiden outing under the new alliance after contesting under BN’s flag in the last election.
The Kimanis parliamentary byelection on Jan 18, which BN won, had given tell-tale signals that votes may sway to GRS, but KDM parties STAR and PBS ultimately sealed the deal in the election.
The coalition has submitted the names of candidates for the chief minister post to Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.
Those who met Juhar were Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor of Bersatu, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin of Umno, Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan of STAR and Datuk Jahid Jahim of PBS.
BN and STAR, the predecessor of GRS, won 31 seats in the 2018 state polls, but lost power in the state administration within days.
In the recent election, Warisan Plus was led by Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) and Pakatan Harapan, which comprises DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara. It is the same coalition formed two years ago to wrest the state from BN.
Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal’s oratory finesse and top-notch social media campaign failed to win enough support this time from the people.
The coalition won 32 seats, comprising 23 from Warisan, six from DAP contesting under the Warisan Plus flag, two from PKR and one from Upko.
Its biggest letdown was in KDM seats, although it retained a few, like Moyog and Kadamaian.
The three independents who pulled through are Datuk Rubin Balang in Kemabong, Datuk Masiung Banah in Kuamut and Ruddy Awah in Pitas.
Rubin and Masiung are former BN assemblymen.
Their personalities, and perhaps some help from the crowded field of candidates, helped them to pull through and they are now backing PN.
Despite the abundance of candidates, the number of women contestants was disappointing. There were only 43 of them, with only seven registering wins.
Several parties that fielded veterans and former political heavyweights, such as Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat of the Liberal Democratic Party and Datuk Seri Anifah Aman of Parti Cinta Sabah, failed to make an impact.