By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 2: The Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) wipeout in the 17th Sabah Election is a clear wave of public rejection—showing that East Malaysia is no longer a ‘testing ground’ for Peninsular Malaysia’s politics.
In a statement, Sarawak rights activist Peter John Jaban said Sabah voters rejected Pakatan Harapan (PH)—the banner which DAP contested under—because of unfulfilled promises of local development, failure to understand Sabah’s realities, and prioritising national agendas over local voices.
He said that because of this, trends such as ‘Sabah First’ have grown, showing that the people are choosing local parties that represent their identity, interests, and needs.
“In Sarawak, Dayak voters and indigenous communities have long rejected PKR due to their failure to address local concerns. Election results clearly show that Peninsular-centred political approaches are not accepted in the Borneo States.
“PH risks losing more marginal seats in Sarawak if it continues to ignore local voices. This is not a warning, this is a fact,” he said.
He added that constitutional rights and resource control must be respected because Sabah and Sarawak have rights to autonomy, natural resources, and special status under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Management of oil, gas, and other natural resources must prioritise the people of the States, not the political interests of the federal government.
“The federal leadership, and any political party, must understand—Sabah and Sarawak are no longer peripheral regions that can be treated as political testing grounds,” he said.
He then urged the federal government to respect the decisions of the people and the autonomy of the States and return their rights that remain unfulfilled.
“Stop marginalising Borneo States for national political gain. The people of Sabah and Sarawak will no longer submit silently. They demand justice, integrity, and dignity. As an activist, I stand with them until their rights are fully restored.
“Enough is enough. Borneo States is no longer a playground for Peninsular political experiments,” he said.
In the recent Sabah election, which took place last Saturday (Nov 29), DAP lost all eight seats it contested—Tanjung Aru, Kapayan, Likas, Luyang, Sri Tanjong, Elopura, Tanjung Papat, and Kemabong.
This marked the first time since 2004 that DAP will have no representation in the Sabah Legislative Assembly. — DayakDaily
