Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said Amanah should focus on breaking into the strongholds of their main rival, PAS, in the east coast and northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia.

“They should focus on establishing a foothold in Sabah first, instead of trying to secure as many seats as possible in the state,” he told FMT.

“The potential for Amanah to garner voter support in Sabah is relatively low. Compared with DAP and PKR, they have a weaker presence in terms of reach.”

Awang was commenting on Amanah president Mohamad Sabu’s statement expressing the party’s intention to contest in the upcoming Sabah state election.

Mohamad reportedly said that the decision is subject to discussions among Pakatan Harapan components.

Sabah has 73 state assembly seats, with 48 of them predominantly comprising Muslim voters.

Meanwhile, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia believes that Amanah stands a chance in the Sabah election, provided they receive support from PH and other component parties of the unity government.

Despite a previous defeat in Tanjung Keramat during the last Sabah state polls, he said the Amanah candidate, who contested using the Warisan logo at the time, demonstrated the party’s ability to provide some competition.

In the 2020 Sabah  elections, Amanah’s Rosdy Wasli garnered a total of 3,470 votes. He lost to Barisan Nasional’s Shahelmy Yahya, who is the seat’s incumbent, by just over a thousand votes.

“This illustrates Amanah’s capacity to earn PH’s trust, whereas PAS, a larger and more established party, did not get an opportunity to contest in Sabah.

“Amanah could emerge victorious this time because it is part of the unity government along with Umno and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah,” said Mazlan, adding that the party would be provided with the necessary backing and resources.