Sabah's Unique Political Dynamics Make Poll Outcomes Hard To Predict -- Academics

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- Sabah’s fluid and unpredictable political landscape will enter its most critical phase over the next two weeks as contesting parties and candidates hit the campaign trail for the 17th Sabah State Election.

Political parties and independent candidates alike are seeking to champion the rights of Sabahans within the federation in a bid to win over voters in the Land Below the Wind.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) lecturer Dr Sharifah Nursyahidah Syed Annuar said election outcomes in Sabah are usually difficult to predict due to the diversity of cultures, tribes and ethnicities, which shape different political leanings across constituencies.

“As with previous general or state elections, political outcomes or election results in Sabah are something that really cannot be anticipated — unpredictable… the next two weeks will indeed be quite a critical period,” she said as a guest on Bernama TV’s Special Sabah Nomination Day Broadcast today.

Dr Sharifah is the head of the Political Science Programme at the Centre for History, Politics and Strategy, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, UKM.

She said the cultural differences between Sabah’s East Coast and West Coast also influence political perceptions in the state, resulting in dynamics that do not align with political patterns in Peninsular Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Negeri Sembilan Branch senior lecturer Dr Muhamad Fuad Abdul Karim said the rise in state identity sentiment has prompted Sabah-based political parties to highlight agendas such as “Sabah for Sabahans” to consolidate support.

“To win the hearts of the people of Sabah, every political party currently contesting is pushing the identity narrative — Sabah for Sabahans. Our state, we take care of it,” he said.

He said Sabah’s political history, which has seen frequent leadership changes, shows that its people are not permanently bound to the dominance of any one party but are more inclined to choose candidates or personalities who meet their expectations.

“If the elected representative appears not to meet the people’s needs, there is a possibility that the people will reject them regardless of the party they belong to,” he said.

He added that social media is expected to play a major role throughout this state election campaign, particularly in influencing the preferences of young voters.

“The medium that can be used by parties contesting in this election is social media, because young people are close to social media… the more a party appears on TikTok or other platforms favoured by youths, the more this will influence how they decide which party to choose on polling day,” he said.

Nominations for the state election concluded at 10 am today, marking the start of the 14-day campaign period set by the Election Commission (EC), which runs until 11.59 pm on Nov 28.

A total of 73 seats are up for grabs in the polls, with the EC setting Nov 25 for early voting and Nov 29 as polling day.

For the latest news on the 17th Sabah State Election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/sabah/index.php

-- BERNAMA