Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Lee Kuok Tiung said STAR may be seeking to capitalise on voters holding local party sentiments, but leaving the ruling state coalition cuts the party’s access to key resources ahead of the polls.
“It is likely to be self-defeating, especially in the final moments leading to the 17th state election,” he told FMT.
Lee said STAR stood to lose more than it could possibly gain by going solo, as Sabahans have traditionally been sceptical of political parties going on their own in elections.
“Losing the resources that could be provided by being in the GRS coalition and heading into the polls without a clear alliance partner will likely not benefit STAR. The ‘solo’ journey needs tactical planning to avoid ending in defeat,” he said.
Bilcher Bala, also of UMS, said it was difficult for parties to go solo in Sabah, as its political environment was coalition-driven.
“Isolated parties often fade unless they hold strong local bases,” he said.
Bilcher said STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan may be betting on his personal brand and belief in his party’s grassroots appeal, but it would struggle against better-funded rivals without GRS’s machinery and resources.
“If STAR manages to retain its seats or even expand, Kitingan could position himself as a kingmaker in post-election negotiations. But if the party falters, it risks being sidelined as a minor player,” he said.
STAR and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) left the ruling state coalition after a nearly two-hour-long GRS presidential council meeting on Wednesday night.
Kitingan insisted that GRS should go solo in the state election rather than continue its pact with Pakatan Harapan, saying this was what Sabahans wanted.
STAR exit a short-term setback for GRS
Lee said STAR’s departure meant GRS had lost one of its key Sabah native pillars ahead of the polls, namely among the Kadazandusun Murut community.
However, he believed this would only cause short-term disruptions to its preparations for the state election. He said the coalition will regroup and consolidate native support around the other KDM-based component, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
“GRS itself, which allows for direct memberships, will also become a new umbrella for STAR followers who decide to stay with GRS,” he said.
He said GRS may have “quietly welcomed” the party’s exit, particularly after Kitingan became the subject of a corruption probe following the release of several videos linking him to the alleged mining scandal in Sabah.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission previously cleared chief minister and GRS chairman Hajiji Noor of any wrongdoing in the alleged scandal.
“It is plausible that GRS leaders viewed STAR as a liability, especially with the bribery allegations surfacing,” he said.
“GRS may have calculated that losing six state seats and one parliamentary seat is less damaging than carrying the baggage of a scandal-tainted partner into the polls.
“Since STAR is heavily identified with Kitingan personally, the scandal could taint the entire party. Even if unproven, the perception of impropriety may sway undecided voters.”
Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs expected the corruption allegations to have little effect in STAR’s constituencies, where demand for infrastructural development “trumps everything else”.