By Majangkim Office
SANDAKAN: The results from Kinabatangan and Lamag are in, and the message is unequivocal: Barisan Nasional (BN) remains politically untouchable in its east Sabah heartland.
The party steamrolled to victory in both parliamentary and state seats, with candidates Mohd Naim Kurniawan Moktar and Mohd Ismail Ayob @ Miha securing crushing majorities.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was quick to claim the win as proof of “strong and steadfast grassroots support.
” While the scale of victory supports that claim, the real story is how it was achieved—not through a vibrant contest of ideas, but through a wave of raw emotion and cold, calculated political maneuvering.
Kinabatangan: A Victory Powered by Grief, Not Just Politics
The Kinabatangan result transcends ordinary politics. This was a dynastic coronation.
Mohd Naim’s victory was less about his own candidacy and more a final, overwhelming tribute to his father, the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, a resolute fighter for Sabah who held the seat for a generation.
The numbers scream “sympathy vote.” In 2022, Bung Moktar won with a 4,330-vote majority.
His son has now tripled that, securing a staggering 14,214-vote landslide. This isn’t just improved performance; it is an emotional tsunami, where personal loyalty to a departed leader washed away any notion of a competitive race.
It reveals a powerful, sentiment-driven base for BN, but also raises questions about its durability once the memory fades.
The Silent Partner in Victory: Rivals Who Stepped Aside
To claim this was a fair fight would be misleading.
BN’s landslide was pre-packaged by the strategic withdrawal of its major rivals.
Both Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) opted out “out of respect,” a move that effectively handed BN a unified field.
Their absence was the ultimate political gift:
It eliminated multi-cornered fights that could split votes.
It allowed BN to posture as the sole, legitimate representative of the governing bloc.
It strategically isolated Warisan, transforming the election into a lopsided two-way contest BN was guaranteed to dominate.
This wasn’t just a campaign win; it was a tactical masterstroke enabled by the concession of would-be challengers.
Warisan’s Quiet, But Critical, Advance
Amid the rubble of defeat, Warisan salvaged something significant: clear, measurable growth. While miles behind BN, the party consolidated its position as the alternative.
In Kinabatangan, Warisan added nearly 1,000 votes to its 2022 tally. More strikingly, in Lamag, it executed a stunning recovery. From a pitiful 372 votes (3.73%) in the chaotic six-cornered state election just weeks prior, it rocketed to 1,588 votes (17.93%).
This fourfold surge signifies that, when the field is cleared, Warisan is the default choice for anti-BN sentiment. They are down, but they have solidified a foundation—a fact far more threatening to BN than a one-off sympathy landslide.
Lamag: From Battleground to BN Stronghold Overnight
Lamag’s transformation is a case study in coalition power. In November 2025, it was the state’s knife-edge seat, won by Bung Moktar by a mere 153 votes.
On January 24, 2026, it became a BN fortress, secured by Miha with a 5,681-vote majority.
This seismic shift wasn’t magic. It was the direct result of BN unifying its coalition and absorbing the support of sidelined parties. The seat’s volatility wasn’t solved; it was engineered into stability by eliminating competition.
It proves BN can lock down a seat when it marshals the full machinery of the ruling coalition—a formidable, but potentially brittle, form of control.
Conclusion: A Fortress Built on Sand and Strategy?
BN’s victory is a masterclass in wielding inherited loyalty and coalition discipline. They have demonstrated an ability to turn personal grief into political capital and convert backroom agreements into unassailable majorities.
However, Warisan’s undeniable gains expose a crack in the fortress wall. They have proven they can consolidate and grow a base when given a clear target.
The lingering, crucial question for Sabah’s future is this: Has BN created an insurmountable local dynasty, or has it merely exposed the limits of its sympathy-driven politics, while its main opponent quietly lays the groundwork for a real war of attrition?
