By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Dec 2: The total wipeout of Democratic Action Party (DAP) in the Sabah election is unlikely to happen in Sarawak, but national parties must “read the signal” sent by Sabah voters as the results clearly show a strong preference for local-based coalitions.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the outcome of the 17th Sabah election, where Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) won 29 seats and Parti Warisan (Warisan) secured 25, reflects a decisive mandate for local political forces, signalling voters’ desire for self-determined governance.
“Sabah election has been conducted successfully, and the result is quite interesting. We hope parties outside Sabah can read the signal. You cannot run away from that. Sabah voters want to be governed by local parties like GRS and Warisan,
“We hope national parties will see the signal sent. Don’t go against it head-on. The people of Sabah are asking for their rights to be returned. Attend to that,” he told reporters at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) Complex Media Room today.
Commenting on DAP’s total loss of all eight seats in Sabah, Abdul Karim said the same scenario is unlikely in Sarawak due to differing political sentiments.
“Probably it will not be this way in Sarawak. Sentiments are totally different in Sabah and Sarawak. The Chinese urban voters in Sabah felt DAP was not carrying their mandate and instead saw Warisan as the stronger platform. So they went to Warisan,” he explained.
He stressed that this trend does not necessarily mean Sabahans dislike Peninsula-based parties but indicates a clear shift toward political autonomy and stronger state rights.
He noted that both GRS and Warisan had used Sarawak as their model for stability throughout their campaigns.
“Both parties emulate Sarawak as their icon. That’s why in Sarawak, we were stopped from going there because both sides supported us. Let them fight among themselves, and the results show what Sabahans want,” he said.
Abdul Karim pointed out that national parties fared poorly despite contesting widely with UMNO won a little, PH won one, PN won one.
“Out of the many seats they contested, they only won one. That is a total wipe-out for national parties. It’s possible UMNO won because of personality factors,” he added.
Commenting on the formation of the new Sabah government by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Abdul Karim observed that leaving Warisan, which won 25 seats and achieved the highest popular vote, outside the administration may create future instability.
“Personally, he has already formed the government of the day, but leaving out a big state party like Warisan might not be good,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of ethnic representation, noting that GRS has no Chinese assemblymen, whereas Chinese-majority constituencies overwhelmingly supported Warisan.
“You cannot leave them out. They are also Sabahans. It depends on leaders there to see how they can work together… maybe not now, but later. I’m not urging a merger or coalition, but they need to look at this because Warisan holds 25 per cent of the seats,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with Sarawak, Abdul Karim credited Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) for uniting all major ethnic groups under one coalition which in turn contributed to political calm and continuity.
“In Sarawak, we are peaceful because everyone is together in GPS, whether the Chinese, the Dayak, the Malays, the Melanau. That’s why Sarawak is stable. If you don’t compromise, the next five years in Sabah may see someone always knocking on your seat. But if you work together, you solve the problem for all Sabahans,” he added.
In the Sabah election, GRS emerged the top winner with 29 out of 55 seats contested, followed by Warisan (25), BN (6), UPKO (3), STAR (2), KDM (1), PN (1), PH (1) and five independents. DAP, contesting under the PH banner, lost all eight seats it contested. — DayakDaily
