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The dust has finally settled in Sabah as voters resoundingly backed homegrown parties in the state polls, rejecting national outfits such as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) and his ally Barisan Nasional (BN).
While the Umno-led BN suffered a setback, securing less than half the seats it had won in 2020, it was PH that suffered a worse drubbing, winning just one of 22 contests, a sharp drop from eight wards five years ago.
Now, concerns are being raised that a similar exodus of support from its urban strongholds might be replicated in other states at a general election due by early 2028. This outcome would likely spell the end of Datuk Seri Anwar’s time in office.
The near-collapse in Sabah has been a long time coming. Over the three years that the Anwar administration has been in power, questions have deepened over the pace of reforms and slow progress in fulfilling electoral pledges.
In the Klang Valley, a key PH votebank, many lament the lack of a viable option. Urban voters, especially the ethnic Chinese minority, have long rejected BN over what they perceive as Malay supremacism and corruption, epitomised by the scandal involving the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) state fund. Similarly, the opposition Perikatan Nasional alliance remains unappealing to them due to its Islamist leanings.
Hence, many voters are considering not turning out at all. This would severely hurt PH, especially in the many swing seats which political observers on both sides believe can quickly turn the tide of the battle. The significance of turnout is underscored by past results, as some 69 out of the 222 parliamentary seats nationwide were decided by a margin of less than 10 per cent of votes cast.
This is perhaps why PM Anwar has taken his time to fill the four vacancies in Cabinet with two positions empty since June. There could be a need to appoint more transformative leaders to quickly right his ship within the next two years or less.
Finally, I hope you enjoy this selection of stories from our bureau this week. If you’d like to see our correspondents chase down a particular lead, send me your suggestions or feedback here.
PM Anwar’s former aide Shamsul Iskandar claims trial to four counts of bribery
Alarm bells for DAP as Chinese vote exodus dents hopes of second term for PM Anwar
The near collapse of urban and Chinese support for DAP in Sabah signals cracks in his stronghold vote bank.
KL police under fire after ‘gay spa’ raid exposes men’s identities but yields no prosecutions
Advocacy groups criticised the raid for privacy violations as the media filmed partially clothed men in towels.
Govt to block under-16s from social media: Communications Minister
KLIA aerotrain undergoes nightly checks to fix persistent system faults, but will it be enough?
Its frequent breakdowns risk undermining Malaysia’s target of welcoming 47 million visitors in 2026.
Push and pull for S-E Asia as China counters Malaysia’s US trade deal with own pact
China proposes liberalising two-way investments with Malaysia and increased access to “strategic sectors”.
Bitcoin miners hunted after stealing $1.4b of electricity from Malaysia grid
