Sabah state election looms as the biggest political hurdle for Anwar: Analyst

Sabah state election looms as the biggest political hurdle for Anwar: Analyst





THE potential Sabah state election, speculated to occur earlier than its December 2025 deadline, looms as the biggest political hurdle, writes an analyst, James Chai, who is also the author of Sang Kancil (Penguin Random House).

He said that in 2025, the most consequential political event that could pose a threat to the unity government, if it happens, is the Sabah state election.

“Although not due until December 2025, speculation has been rife that the Sabah legislative assembly may dissolve before then. That, however, was before the news of alleged corruption in the state broke out early last month,” Chai wrote in a column in Singapore’s Channel News Asia.


He said the allegations of corruption in the Sabah government complicate matters further, and Anwar’s response could shape his anti-corruption credentials.

Chai added that before the news broke, the challenge of the Sabah state election was already obvious.

Although GRS, UMNO, and Warisan are part of the unity government at the federal level, UMNO and Warisan are opposition parties in Sabah.

The question now is what contest formula will be used in Sabah. If the parties of the unity government compete against each other in the state, it could threaten the cohesion of the federal alliance.

“In other words, this could be the first real electoral test for Mr Anwar’s government – one that will determine if the novel concept of “competition amidst cooperation” is feasible to maintain,” he wrote. —Dec 15, 2024