For many Sabahans, it’s all about putting food on the table

Politicians can talk about the 1MDB issue and criticise Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's leadership until the cows come home - but unlike voters in Peninsular Malaysia, all Sabah voters care about is getting food on the table.

Talk about 1MDB in the more rural areas and they will not even understand what it is all about. This was said by a local voter who was met on the streets in the heart of the Kota Kinabalu city centre.

"Maybe those who understand are the educated ones. But the rest, what they only want is cash, water tanks, Housing Project for the Hardcore Poor (PPRT) homes, gas, rice and sugar," said Kinabatangan native Awang Asgali (photo), matter-of-factly.

Tuaran native Aman Mohd Zain attested to this.

"Sabahans don't care about issues concerning the peninsula. We only care about our rights.

"It's like our own home, we'd like to have control of our own money to make changes to our houses. But when others hold on to our money, it's hard to make the house prettier. It's the same for Sabah," Aman (photo) said.

A United Nations Millenium Development Goals report conducted last year shows that poverty hounds one in five Sabah bumiputera households.

However, according to the Department of Statistics, the average monthly household income in the state has increased from RM4,879 in 2014 to RM5,354 in 2016.

But on an individual level, the average monthly income of Sabahans in 2016 was RM1,723, the lowest in the country.

Grab car driver Lim Ket Siong, 23, is one such individual struggling to earn a living.

"For most Sabahans who earn less than RM1,000, it's so hard to make ends meet," he told Malaysiakini while driving in Kota Kinabalu.

Being a driver is just one of Lim's (photo) many business ventures to "earn extra income".

For him, what he wants is a state government that can give him more income tax exemptions.

This struggle that Sabahans face has not gone unnoticed by politicians.

Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Junz Wong admitted that there was no point for opposition leaders in the state to harp on 1MDB and Najib's leadership or lack thereof.

"1MDB does affect (Sabah), but on a minimal level. A lot of people are too busy making ends meet.

"They have to face this, rather than think of figures they can't really imagine.

"So there is no reason to talk about it. It's good enough that they talk about it in Parliament," Wong said.

This gambit to take a local-centric approach has paid off for the party.

Open to giving Warisan a chance

Some Sabahans admit that they are open to giving Warisan a chance to lead the state as the Sabah-based party claims that its struggle is all about regaining the rights of Sabahans.

Met during a Warisan programme in Tenom, Tenom native Ruidah Kudis cited a promise made by the party that the goods and services tax (GST) will be abolished if it comes into power in the next general election.

The cost of goods in Sabah can be considerably more expensive than in the peninsula. This does not bode well for Sabahans, especially since the average monthly income for Sabahans is the lowest in the country.

The government has tried to alleviate this by abolishing the cabotage policy, but many still say that they are feeling the pinch due to low wages and the GST.

And it's not just money that weighs on people's minds. Many villages in Sabah still have no access to roads, clean water or electricity.

Even those with access to such basic amenities, like Ruidah Kudis (photo), say that development is stagnant.

"I could see how there was not much change in my village in the years Barisan Nasional held the state," said the 27-year-old housewife.

As a young father-of-two, all Stanley Kok Wenn Ru wants is more job opportunities "for a better future".

Currently operating a business of his own, Kok does not think that the country's economy is "good".

"Having my own family, I have to shoulder all the expenses. This is why I want to try to change our principles as Sabahans for a better economy."

Like Ruidah, the 27-year-old said Kok is confident that Warisan president Mohd Shafie Apdal would be able to bring change in the state.

For former Umno member Awang Tahir (photo), development and job opportunities have been indeed provided by the BN.

"However, we can see clearly now how the prices of goods have increased due to the GST and unemployment has increased so we have no choice but to change," said the 59-year-old.Sabah-- Mkini