What Sabahans Really Want

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People in Sabah are tired. Tired of political games, tired of leaders switching sides, tired of promises that lead nowhere. The reality on the ground is simple: life is still hard, and politics is not helping enough.
It is 2025, and many families in Sabah still rely on water from rivers or wells. Power cuts are frequent. In many places, roads remain gravel or mud.
Parents worry if the local clinic has enough medicine. Teachers in rural schools stretch limited resources. Jobs are scarce. Prices keep rising, but wages remain the same.
When elections come around, politicians arrive with slogans and speeches. They shake hands, make pledges, and talk about development. But for many Sabahans, the cycle is all too familiar. Once the votes are counted, silence follows.
What frustrates people most is that their problems are not new. These are not complicated demands. They want working roads, clean water, proper schools, stable jobs, and a fair share of the resources their state provides.
Sabah is not a poor land. It is a land made poor by years of mismanagement and inconsistent leadership.
Lack of commitment from political leaders
Party hopping has made things worse. Voters feel insulted when the people they chose suddenly change sides and join the very parties they campaigned against.
These moves are always explained as strategy or sacrifice, but no one buys it anymore. Trust is broken, and it is hard to rebuild.
Even so, Sabahans still go out and vote. Not because they are loyal to parties, but because they still hope. Hope that maybe this time, someone will take their struggles seriously. That someone will stay long enough to finish what they started.
There is much talk about PKR and Pakatan Harapan’s slate in Sabah, especially as the coalition leans toward fielding all local candidates this time around.
But for many voters, what matters is not just where a candidate comes from, but what they bring to the table. Some names are familiar, even recycled, and that raises questions. 
Still, Sabahans have seen both local and outside leaders fall short. The real issue is not geography or history. It is commitment. Voters want leaders who will fight for basic services and remain present long after the votes are counted.
Sabahans are not asking for luxury. They are asking for dignity. They want decent schools for their children. They want clinics that work. They want roads that survive the rainy season. They want jobs that pay enough to live. These are not dreams. These are rights.
Politicians who walk away from government at the first sign of conflict are no longer seen as heroes. Sabah does not need more drama. It needs stability.
Walking out is easy. Staying and working through problems is what real public service looks like.
To be fair, PKR is not exempt. It has also taken in figures with long political histories. Some have changed colours more than once.
This has raised eyebrows, even among loyal supporters. People ask how a party that speaks of reform can keep reusing names from the old system.
It is a valid question. Sabahans have every right to feel uneasy when the faces they rejected under one flag reappear under another.
The optics are poor. If left unaddressed, it feeds the same cynicism that has eroded public trust for years.
A compromise
But here is the hard truth. Sabah’s political field is not built for purity. It is built on numbers. A party that wants to change things must still find a way to contest, to win, and to govern.
In that reality, compromises are made. Not all are comfortable, and not all are clean.
What matters now is not how many times a candidate has changed shirts, but whether they are willing to work. Sabahans are no longer judging leaders by their past affiliations, but by their present actions.
If a recycled candidate can fix roads, get clinics running, and stay loyal to the job, voters will take that over a newcomer who disappears after one term.
Still, PKR must be careful. It cannot use practicality as an excuse for carelessness. Voters expect better.
If the party brings in candidates with baggage, it must also set clear expectations. No switching sides. No deals in secret. No empty slogans. Just results.
Because in Sabah, credibility is fragile. Once lost, it takes years to recover. Right now, people are not listening to speeches. They are watching who stays.
People are done being patient
PKR cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of others. If it is serious about Sabah, it must listen instead of lecture. It must stand firmly behind the candidates it has named, ensure they stay the full term, and demand accountability. No jumping. No disappearing. No excuses.
People are done being patient. The frustration on the ground is real.
They do not want press conferences. They want working pipes, paved roads, and better schools. If you cannot deliver those, do not come asking for votes.
Sabah deserves better. Not because it is special, but because it is part of Malaysia.
The Sabah state assembly buildingFor too long, it has been treated as an afterthought. That needs to change. Not with more speeches. Not with more posters. With presence.
What voters resent even more than broken promises are backroom deals made in secret. When elected leaders jump ship after winning, they are not defending the people’s interests. They are defending their seat, their contracts, and their own future.
The rakyat knows what it looks like when power becomes business, not responsibility. Sabah has seen this too often.
Behind all the movements are patterns of corruption that never go away. Projects without transparency. Land for cronies. Leaders enrich themselves while kampungs remain stuck.
People are no longer shocked. They are just tired. Tired of seeing the same names switch shirts and return. Tired of being told to wait.
What they want now is simple. Stop stealing their future. - Mkini
MAHATHIR MOHD RAIS is a former Federal Territories Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional secretary. He is now a PKR member.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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