Bilcher Bala of Universiti Malaysia Sabah believes Sabah, like Sarawak, will one day see local parties dominate state politics. However, at present, politics in Sabah tends to be more “dynamic” and, as a result, is unstable, he said.
The political analyst said that unlike in Sarawak, where local parties are more inclined to preserve unity in the state, Sabahan politicians appear too focused on warding off internal competition.
“Local parties have found it hard to build long-term stability, especially in maintaining consistency in political leadership.
“As a result, they are often divided into splinters, which only splits the votes. This, in turn, weakens the ability of the parties to unite and dominate in Sabah,” he told FMT.
Bilcher said Sabah-based parties should gather under one umbrella in the same way Sarawakian parties pull together under Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
He said staying divided gives room to national-based parties, which have the edge in terms of funding and governance, to enter the field.
Bilcher believed that the political cooperation between Hajiji Noor’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Pakatan Harapan is only a temporary formula.
“When the next state election comes along, Sabah’s political landscape will change if local parties focus on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 sentiments. These sentiments can yield strong support from the rakyat for local parties,” he said.
Last Saturday, Hajiji reportedly said Sabah was not ready to emulate Sarawak in setting up a state government dominated by local parties. He said cooperation with national parties was still necessary for the next state polls.
The Sarawak government has always been led by a local party, even when these parties were part of Barisan Nasional before June 2018.
On the other hand, Sabah’s government has changed hands multiple times, with several administrations suffering defections which repeatedly threatened the state government’s stability.
Stumbling block
James Chin of the University of Tasmania said the presence of Sabah Umno appears to be the biggest stumbling block to local parties “monopolising” Sabah politics. He said a new local party could easily be formed to replace it.
Chin said Sabah Umno leaders would not lose support in doing so.
“Whether they stay in Umno or not really doesn’t matter, it’s a question of whether they want to come out of Umno.
“Sabah politics is still centred around personalities. If those personalities move to Sabah-based parties, then West Malaysian parties will have no more influence,” he said.
Sabahans witnessed this recently after the federal unity government was formed following the 15th general election two years ago.
In December 2022, Sabah Bersatu collapsed after Hajiji and several other state leaders quit the party. They went on to assume control of local party Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah.
However, Chin said, one reason which could dissuade Sabah Umno from taking the same course is its reliance on funding from Umno at federal level.
“Money is crucial in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.