KOTA KINABALU: If the high level of confidence in winning expressed by Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) president Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in Tongod recently is any indication, the upcoming state election will be interesting.
In what is seen as a moral booster, Hajiji said that the coalition could win the upcoming state election by working well with the component parties of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and the state’s Pakatan Harapan (PH).
While Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal had previously said that the party is always open to working together, including UMNO and KDM, for the sake of Sabahans,
Although nothing is impossible in politics, many political pundits believed that a “Sailang Battle” between GRS PH and Warisan, BN, and KDM groupings was inevitable in an attempt to take charge of the state administration.
Many believe that both GRS PH and Warisan BN KDM have equal (50-50) chances of winning the next Sabah elections.
Local political activist Musli Oli opined that although the ruling coalition of GRS PH appears to have the upper hand, “we cannot totally write off the chances of the Warisan, BN, and KDM alliance pulling off a surprise win, considering the strength of Warisan and BN on the east coast of Sabah.
According to Musli, Warisan, BN, and KDM have their own staunch supporters, respectively, that may put a dent in the mighty GRS PH election machinery in the next state election.
“For example, KDM pulled off a surprise victory when the party’s candidate defeated PBS President in the Kota Marudu Parliament constituency in the last general election.
“In addition to basic infrastructure problems such as water and electricity, the increase in the price of basic necessities also affects the attitude of the people.
“I have not seen any seriousness on the part of the state government to overcome the people’s problems until now,” he said.
Musli, who is also a writer and publisher of books, especially those related to current politics in Sabah, said it is very difficult to say which party is really in the driving seat for now, and only time will tell.
