KOTA KINABALU: When will the next Sabah state election be?
It’s a question that’s on everyone’s mind right now.
Such curiosity cropped up when the Sabah Chief Minister announced recently that there is a good chance the Sabah State Election will be held this year.
Despite their tenure as the current State Government not expiring until next year, there seems to be a lot of hype and speculation surrounding the decision to hold the election this year.
Political activist Remy Majangkim opined that it is natural to wonder about the reasoning behind this or if it is simply an exaggeration.
Nevertheless, he said the state election norm would be after the Ramadan month and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“This is the time when election fever is in full swing. So, are you ready for it? Are you prepared to choose the new state government that will take care of our basic needs and uphold our constitutional rights? He said this in his latest social media post.
According to Majangkim, there are fundamental questions to ask yourself in order to choose the right candidates.
“Now, before we delve into who you should vote for in the next election and why, let’s take a look at recent history.
“Specifically, let’s examine the last general election and the reasons we find ourselves at this crossroads. The 2020 Sabah State election was a snap election that occurred after members of Warisan defected to the opposing team.
“As a result, the State Assembly was dissolved on July 30, 2020. This event coincided with the Sheraton Move, which led to the downfall of Pakatan Harapan 1.0 and the emergence of Perikatan Nasional. And then, of course, the whole world came to a standstill due to the global pandemic,” he said.
By default, Majangkim said Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) did not win the previous election because, according to the State Constitution, it did not meet the requirements stated in Article 6(7), which include being the head of a political party and having a majority. It is important to note that “a” is used in the singular form in the English language.
“These requirements are considered deeming provisions and should be taken into account as legal instruments. The final say lays with the TYT, which must act in accordance with or on the advice given in Article 10(1).
“During the aftermath of the 2020 state election, Sabah could potentially face a constitutional crisis. However, the outgoing Chief Minister chose to respect the decision of the TYT, thereby paving the way for Datuk Hajiji to be sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Sabah,” he added.
According to Majangkim, this decision aligns with Perikatan Nasional.
“Over the past two years, the country has been plagued by scandals and corruption practices, resulting in the formation of the largest federal cabinet in Malaysia.
“Hence the emergence of Pakatan Harapan 2.0 and the creation of a Unity Government,” he said.
He said, “As businesses suffered greatly, we had to dip into our KWSP savings to survive.”.
“Many never fully recovered after the pandemic subsided. We all had to pick up the pieces and begin anew,” he added.
Majangkim said following the downfall of Perikatan Nasional and the removal of Article 6(7) during the recent Dewan Undangan Negeri session, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) resurfaced and realigned itself, now standing alongside Pakatan Harapan 2.0, shaping the present state of affairs.
At this point, a question arises for all Sabahans: how does Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) fare in their report card for the past four years, both during their time in the Perikatan Nasional camp and now with Pakatan Harapan 2.0?
