PETALING JAYA: The ruling Sarawak coalition GPS has been urged to learn from the defeat of Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), the former ruling party in Sabah, and focus their efforts on improving the economy and rural development instead of “mere sloganeering”.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak senior lecturer Arnold Puyok
(pic) and Bait Al Amanah director Shahrill Sabarudin said Warisan had chosen to promote slogans such as “Sabahans Unite Not Divide”, “In God We Trust and “Unite We Must” during Sabah state elections last year.
Citing two statewide opinion polls conducted by the Society Empowerment and Economic Development of Sabah, a think tank headed by Puyok, they said there were also billboards showing Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s famous quote: “We are here to build a nation, not a particular race or religion.”
“The message was accompanied by Shafie’s self-portrait á la Che Guevara – the Cuban revolutionary leader.”
They said even though the campaign message was well received by the electorates, it did not translate into votes. “The people’s bigger priorities were economic survival and infrastructure development.”
The analysts said Sarawak leaders from the ruling GPS should take action rather than resort to sloganeering, and provide tangible results.
Sarawak is set to face state elections by August 2021, after the State Assembly’s five-year term expires in June.
“The challenge for GPS is to maintain its support in the Dayak areas where Parti Sarawak Bersatu is seen as gaining ground.
“Like in previous elections, GPS has the incumbency advantage but the mood of the people can change at the eleventh hour as what happened in Sabah,” they added.
They said the State Government should have practical solutions to help those suffering from loss of income and also small businesses that have been affected by the pandemic, aside from putting in place short- and long-term measures to help the economy recover.
They added that infrastructure development, such as water and electricity supply, roads and other basic amenities, were also important, especially for those living in rural areas.
“When making our rounds during the campaigning (period) in the Sabah election, we chanced upon a banner that read ‘Ada aspal/jambatan, ada undi’ (seal our road and build us a bridge, our vote is granted),” they said, citing their observations during the research carried out in Sabah.
“Such a message to the politicians is not unique in the rural areas. It reminds them that the people are willing to trade their political support for development.”
