THE signs were already there even before campaigning for the 17th Sabah state elections entered its final lap.
At a recent DAP ceramah at a food court in Tanjung Aru, which began at 7.30pm, the crowd was thin.
There were mostly party workers and members. The rain didn’t help and by 9.30pm, the talk had ended.
In the last few days before polling, local DAP candidates politely told the federal party leaders to stay away.
However, it seemed that the federal leaders didn’t listen, as political heavyweights arrived thinking they could swing the results.
By then, my media friends had told me that the DAP and PKR could get zero seats.
Others said PKR could do better by winning at least two seats.
I shared the bad feedback with a DAP federal minister, but he told me the speculation was “harsh” as he believed DAP could win at least “2-4 seats.”
As always, nobody wants to hear any form of negative feedback. That is human nature.
The “Sabah for Sabahans” sentiment was strong and as Upko read the political winds rightly, they pulled out of Pakatan Harapan and managed to capture three seats.
The Chinese sentiments were detected very early as they politely and privately whined.
It wasn’t just the DAP not speaking up enough against corruption but local issues like continued water and power disruptions.
The roads outside many towns are in horrible condition. It is not something new; Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had questioned the delay of phase one of the Pan-Borneo highway, although funds had been allocated.
It was slated to be ready by 2022 and yet, it is still not ready.
Some said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor was a “nice and good person” but needed to be “more authoritative.”
The Sabah voters also showed the exit to several veteran local leaders such as Datuk Seri Salleh Syed Keruak (Barisan), Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia (GRS) and Tan Sri Anifah Aman (GRS).
Some Sabah businessmen privately asked why Hajiji could not say no to these leaders who don’t understand that they should retire.
Instead, they lobbied the CM hard to be fielded as candidates.
But then, there are other veterans like Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN) and Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan (Sabah STAR), who can still win in every state election.
Even Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who is a former chief minister and an MP and state assemblyman for decades.
His Semporna constituency has been in the news again recently for being the dirtiest in the state.
Still, Warisan won 25 seats out of the 73 seats in the state.
It managed to wipe out the DAP seats that its Chinese candidates won in the urban areas.
But with 25 seats, it wasn’t enough to reach the last mile – the minimum 37-seat simple majority.
GRS was able to get the backing of the others – Pakatan, Sabah STAR, Upko and independents to secure the simple majority.
Many had predicted before polling that Warisan would comfortably achieve pole position but may not be enough to hit the simple majority.
Sabah politics are always complicated and many federal politicians and analysts don’t always feel the pulse correctly.
Friends of mine who have been giving their expert opinions included many who have never stepped into Sabah, the second largest state, or have merely visited Kota Kinabalu.
Sabah’s voters include those who may have to sacrifice a day’s wage to travel for miles by road to vote.
These voters insist on being reimbursed for this, something which many people in Peninsular Malaysia frown upon.
The people of Sabah feel that these are condescending remarks from Orang Malaya, as people from the peninsula are called, that rural voters are easily bought by money.
Many people have no idea that areas like Banggi are located near the border with the Philippines.
Without a doubt, huge sums of money are needed to win elections in Sabah, and it is even sadder when politicians are perceived to make more money through corruption later.
These are the same politicians who have exploited the Sabah voters but also campaigned along the lines of “Sabah for Sabahans.”
But for peninsula-based parties like Pakatan, Barisan and Perikatan Nasional, where the results are clear, they would need to go back to the drawing board.
Pakatan leaders would have to ask themselves honestly what had gone wrong after being in power for three years.
It is the first time in Malaysia’s history that the ruling party does not hold the largest number of seats.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim leads a unity government with 18 partners.
He is pulled in all directions but the people’s expectations of a reformist leader are huge and many may not be in the mood to listen to reasons. They want promises and pledges to be fulfilled.
Some federal ministers and deputies do not even return texts or calls from the media, what more the ordinary rakyat.
It is a serious situation when the “fixed deposit” voters of Chinese, Indians and the people of Sabah, are eroding.
They included many who took part in the Reformasi marches. They are angry, frustrated and disappointed.
The results of the Sabah election is a very loud wake-up call.
Don’t take the voters, especially the ones who put you there in power, for granted.
