Sabah polls should not be seen as referendum on federal government

COMMENTARY, Sept 23 — With the campaign period ending on Friday night, rival parties in the Sabah state election are desperately scrambling for support as none has the lead.

The incumbent Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) and its allies found the last 11 days of campaigning rough as they probably misread voters’ sentiments. So did rivals Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN) and their allies.

Sabahans have kept their intentions hidden and there are no hints how they will vote.

There are thousands of banners and flags all across the state but the parties do not know where they stand.

The audience at ceramahs have worn party colours so they are seen as supporters.

Some voters might not vote as they could be politically fatigued over the past months.

Political parties are trying hard to gauge their support but they know matters can change quickly.

The deadlock occurred because Warisan’s Mohamaddin Ketapi made controversial remarks about the Lahad Datu incident. This gave BN-PN an opening.

As of yesterday, BN-PN said they were ahead of Warisan by 10 per cent. It is unclear how they arrived at this number.

BN-PN has capitalised on Ketapi’s remarks, putting Warisan on the defensive with two days left in the campaign.

This suggests neither side can form the government but BN-PN have the advantage.

The situation in Sabah is fluid and the Saturday election could result in a small victory or hung assembly.

Voters are cold about the state election so it cannot be considered a referendum on the federal government.

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