Keningau Voters Weigh Dynasty Politics Against Village Realities

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Keningau is a district where modern expansion sits atop older rhythms of village life, with its bustling crossroads long shaped by timber routes from Nabawan and Sook.
Hotels and commercial rows now fill the town, but politics here moves at the slower pace of memory, kinship, and everyday survival, shaped less by party manifestos and more by what voters see, hear, and repeat among themselves.
It is also a district at the centre of a family contest. With the Aman brothers contesting both Liawan and Bingkor, Keningau has once again become a testing ground for dynasty politics.
Their last name remains familiar, even respected, but it no longer guarantees loyalty in a community where voters increasingly judge leaders on what they deliver, not who they are.
Among the Murut and Dusun villages stretching from Kampung Bariawa Ulu to Kampung Tuarid Taud, the shared refrain is simple: life in Keningau is built from the land, and leaders must understand that before asking for votes.
‘Better tap rubber than go KK’
For many here, the real economy sits far from Kota Kinabalu’s rising prices.
“Better tap rubber than go to Kota Kinabalu. Things are expensive in KK… better work in the kampung,” said 60-year-old road sweeper and rubber tapper Kautis Robert, who earns RM1,100 a month sweeping roads while tapping rubber on the side for extra income whenever needed.
Kautis, who supports nine children, believed that city workers often earn less after rent, traffic, and daily expenses.
Families with small oil palm plots or rubber stands, he said, “can be richer than the average worker in Kota Kinabalu”.
This simple interior arithmetic, low cost of living, modest income, and rural self-reliance inform how voters view political promises.
Like some urban voters in Kota Kinabalu, the folk in Keningau want leaders who understand how people really live, not those who appear only during campaign season.
Family legacy meets voter fatigue
The Aman family’s presence in the area is unmistakable.
In Liawan, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) candidate Annuar Ayub Aman is defending his narrowly won seat.
In Bingkor, his brother Ishak contests under the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) banner.
Both are nephews of Sabah governor Musa Aman and members of a longstanding political clan.
Sabah governor Musa AmanHowever, the ground is shifting.
“Aman? Famous. The family has influence. Yet, influence does not guarantee trust,” said retired civil servant Andrew Jonu, 66, when met in Keningau town.
A Dusun food stall owner, Rosnah Kasinin, echoed that sentiment.
“He may be popular, but does he really know our problems? He wasn’t around until the election was here,” Rosnah said.
Her 19-year-old son, Ayub, was blunt: “He is popular… but he only came around recently talking about the community.”
‘Roads come when elections begin’
Infrastructure has become a recurring symbol of frustration. At the edge of Kampung Mumpikit, resident Linsing Langkas pointed at a newly paved stretch of road.
“This year… when the election is near. Before that, no. No allocation, nothing,” he said.
In Bingkor, hardware store worker Marcellinus Sunsuron shared the same view.
“This year, the road is okay… when the election is near. Before that, no.”
Both men take their political views with scepticism, citing that development only arrives in bursts, rarely consistently.
Info spreads through social media
If Tambunan voters worry about undocumented migrants, Keningau voters worry about something else - the flow of information itself.
Across the district, political views are shaped not by mainstream news but by WhatsApp messages, Facebook posts, TikTok clips, and coffee shop talk.
“People here don’t follow the news. They only see whatever is on social media,” said civil servant Jonah Lontol.
“They talk about it in the shops. Someone says a story, and everyone seems to believe what is being said,” Murut elder Pius Henry added, explaining that is why some of their facts seem skewed.
According to him, rumours, voice notes, and edited videos often outrun verified information, where a single WhatsApp screenshot can define a candidate’s reputation.
TikTok edits are treated as evidence. Party manifestos rarely circulate unless forwarded.
In this media ecosystem, narratives about undocumented migrants also spread quickly, not because voters have verified them, but because they hear them repeatedly.
For instance, Jonah said the fear of Warisan giving out identity cards if they form the government appears to be real among the local folk.
“The fact that the party president is from Semporna, they seem to believe that… The folk in the Southern Philippines have relations in Semporna.
“But they don’t see the same for the familial ties of the Murut in the border of Sabah and the Murut in Kalimantan, Indonesia. They, too, cross borders like the ones in Semporna,” he added.
Warisan president and Semporna MP Shafie ApdalJonah said these fears are mostly among the senior folks, but not so with the youths.
Like in Tambunan, the young feel the migrants are not the real problem so long as they “don’t disrupt” or add to the crime rates in Keningau.
When it comes to social media attacks, Warisan seems to be targeted by certain quarters.
“On social media, it is strong. They attack Warisan because of undocumented migrants. People say if Warisan comes back, the undocumented migrants will get power,” said Andrew.
While younger voters treat such claims as “background noise”, Warisan’s challenge in Keningau mirrors its struggle in other interior seats - where its image is shaped more by viral chatter than by its own messaging.
Drugs, smuggled cigarettes
While migrants dominate online talk, drugs and smuggling dominate real-world worries.
“The thing destroying the young ones now is drugs,” said hardware worker Roseline Siowon.
Glue-sniffing, misuse of methamphetamine, and cheap, smuggled cigarettes were frequently mentioned by residents interviewed.
An elderly farmer, Sewat Lumbis, pointed to roadside peddlers selling smuggled cigarettes.
“If the locals sell, they get caught. But these ones don’t get caught,” he said, adding that many see this as an enforcement issue, not an immigration one.
Bingkor’s crowded battlefield
Bingkor voters await the showdown between four powerhouses - GRS, Parti Impian Sabah (PIS), Warisan, and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM).
“Four of them are strong,” said Marcellinus.
The contest intensified when incumbent Robert Tawik stepped aside for his son, Rafie. With 10 candidates and nearly half the electorate aged between 21 and 39, youth turnout could determine the outcome.
But just like Tambunan, many young voters here have migrated for work and may not return to vote.
Sabah goes to the polls on Nov 29, while early voting is on Nov 25. - Mkini

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