Dap S Total Wipe Out In Sabah A Clear Message To Also Exit S Wak Politics A Harbinger Of Its Fate In Ge16

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Editor’s Note: Ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has emerged as the largest bloc with 29 seats at the conclusion of the Sabah’s state polls yesterday (Nov 29).
Speaking at a media conference at the Federal Government Administration Complex Sabah at 2.10am this morning (Nov 30), Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said Warisan came in with the second highest number of seats at 25, followed by Barisan Nasional (six), independents (five), UPKO (three), Sabah STAR (two) and one each for Pakatan Harapan (PH), Perikatan Nasional and KDM.
A total of 596 candidates had vied for 73 seats with voter turnout of 64.35% from 1.76 million eligible voters.
Image credit: BernamaMeanwhile, (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (image above) has been sworn in as Sabah Chief Minister for a second term before Sabah governor Tun Musa Aman.
Hajiji who retained the Sulaman seat in the polls was sworn in at 3.05am today (Nov 30) at Istana Seri Kinabalu here after GRS formed a coalition state government together with UPKO, PH and five independents.
DAP lost all eight of its traditional seats to Warisan in the 17th Sabah state elections yesterday (Nov 29) – an outcome few anticipated from a party that once sought to strengthen Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) foothold in the state.
This was not a wake-up call for the DAP but a reminder that its political relevance in Sabah – and to some extent Sarawak – is coming to an end.


Deeply concerned about the continued erosion of their rights under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Sabahans delivered a resounding verdict against the DAP whose Peninsular-style racial politics is increasingly out of touch with Sabah’s evolving political and social realities.

The rude and dismissive remarks by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook regarding the resignation of United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) president Datuk Ewon Benedick (who retained his Kedamaian seat) only deepened the disconnect.
His comments were seen as an affront to Sabah and a failure to appreciate the long struggle of Sabahans for their elusive rights under an oppressive federal relationship.
Full outcome of 17th Sabah state election (Image credit: Borneo Post)Editor’s Note: PH as a whole also fared badly given Prine Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s-backed PKR was also made to eat humble pie with only one victor in Datuk Jamawi Ja’afar (Melalap seat) out of 10 candidates
Soul searching
In the coming days and months, DAP leaders must confront a serious question: Should the party withdraw entirely from Sabah politics? The scale of defeat was a glaring signal that the party has lost its moral compass in understanding the unique political fabric of the state.
Sabahans – whether Chinese or indigenous – have delivered a simple and decisive message: DAP should leave Sabah before irreparable damage is done.
PMX must also shoulder responsibility for the dismal performance of PH in Sabah.
PH as a coalition boasts only one victor from a pool of 21 candidatesHis administration’s evasive stance on implementing the court-ordered 40% special revenue entitlement convinced Sabahans that the federal government had no genuine commitment to honouring MA63.
This political prevarication ignited a powerful backlash that PH and its “sycophant” DAP allies paid for with humiliation at the ballot box.
Let this defeat serve as a lesson for the DAP – not to entangle itself further in the minefield of Sabah politics.
The party’s unprecedented collapse carries broader implications nationwide. It signifies that DAP’s political model is unsuitable not only for Sabah but perhaps increasingly for Malaysia as a whole.

If the party is wise, it should not only announce its withdrawal from Sabah or Sarawak politics per se but to do soul searching to weigh its co-existence within the Madani government as a whole. 
Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.

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