Politicians go full throttle as Sabah election looms

KOTA KINABALU: With Sabah’s state election expected before the assembly’s term ends on Nov 11, political leaders are intensifying their campaigns across the state.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor took his Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) message up north to Kudat, while his rival, Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, headed south to Nabawan and Keningau over the weekend.

Both leaders have been on the offensive as political tem­­pe­ratu­res rise amid uncertainty over electoral pacts with the major coalitions of the Federal Govern­ment.

Hajiji defended his administration’s record under the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya plan, claiming 94% of its goals had been achieved over the past five years, which he said put the state back on track economically and socially after Covid-19.

He blamed Sabah’s water woes and delays in the Pan Borneo High­way on Mohd Shafie’s previous government, accusing it of terminating contracts for water treatment plants and highway projects.

Mohd Shafie countered by high­lighting unresolved water, electri­city and road issues, while pled­ging improvements in education, health and jobs. He also pointed to Warisan’s past achievements, including providing native land titles and recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

The two Bajau leaders – Hajiji from the west coast and Mohd Shafie from the east – are pitching contrasting visions: Hajiji seeking a second and final term to complete the GRS-Pakatan Harapan agenda, while Mohd Shafie pushes for greater state autonomy under a single multiracial party.

Seat negotiations continue, with GRS attempting to forge a pact with Pakatan for the allocation of the 73 state seats, amid pressure within the eight-party coalition to secure a majority share.

GRS and Sabah Barisan Nasio­nal, however, remain at odds and are expected to clash.

Perikatan Nasional, weakened after Hajiji pulled GRS out of Bersatu in 2022, is still drawing sizeable crowds.

“People are looking for alternatives. They are fed up with unresolved issues. We have many youths coming to our ceramah,” said Sabah Bersatu chairman Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee.

Kiandee, together with party leaders Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainud­din, has been campaigning in GRS and Warisan strongholds in recent months, including Mohd Shafie’s home base of Semporna over the weekend.

Beyond bread-and-butter issues, controversies such as the mining licence scandal and the death of student Zara Qairina Mahathir are also expected to weigh on the GRS–Pakatan government.

Observers anticipate a tight contest, with the possibility of another hung assembly and a fresh coalition government likely to emerge after the polls.

In recent months, lesser-known leaders and parties, both dormant and new, have also announced plans to contest, while another group calling itself the Black Wave is preparing to run as independents. - Star