Voting DAP out was bitter but necessary, jaded Sabah supporters say
Jason Santos
Published: Dec 19, 2025 8:00 AM
Updated: 11:06 AM
As the dust settles from DAP’s wipeout in the Sabah election, former supporters who voted them out told Malaysiakini the outcome was not one they celebrated.
They are not happy that the party lost, but are disappointed that DAP became the kind they felt they had to vote out.
The reasons varied, but one major consistent theme that cropped up was disappointment that DAP had allied itself with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
“When DAP became associated with that group, it was very difficult to accept. That is why people voted them out,” said Tham Wei Sheng, 50, a dentist from Kota Kinabalu.
He was referring to DAP’s decision to support the GRS administration after BN withdrew its backing for Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor during a political crisis in early 2023.
Tham said many voters continued to associate GRS with the “dirty” political culture of the former BN state administration led by Musa Aman, even though Musa is no longer the chief minister and does not formally lead the coalition.
Published: Dec 19, 2025 8:00 AM
Updated: 11:06 AM
As the dust settles from DAP’s wipeout in the Sabah election, former supporters who voted them out told Malaysiakini the outcome was not one they celebrated.
They are not happy that the party lost, but are disappointed that DAP became the kind they felt they had to vote out.
The reasons varied, but one major consistent theme that cropped up was disappointment that DAP had allied itself with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
“When DAP became associated with that group, it was very difficult to accept. That is why people voted them out,” said Tham Wei Sheng, 50, a dentist from Kota Kinabalu.
He was referring to DAP’s decision to support the GRS administration after BN withdrew its backing for Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor during a political crisis in early 2023.
Tham said many voters continued to associate GRS with the “dirty” political culture of the former BN state administration led by Musa Aman, even though Musa is no longer the chief minister and does not formally lead the coalition.
Sabah governor Musa Aman
In Tawau, Chan Kok Wa, 48, told Malaysiakini that many Chinese voters no longer viewed DAP as a party that defended Sabah interests, particularly following its cooperation with both GRS and BN.
“If DAP had moved on its own, using the ‘rocket’ logo, maybe they could have won,” he said.
Sabah for Sabahans
Wong Fook Lim, 65, a retired Penampang resident who now works as a Grab driver, said DAP was increasingly viewed as detached from Sabah-based decision-making.
“If something happens in Sabah, they still have to ask their bosses in Kuala Lumpur,” he said. “They are not local.”
Wong said the sentiment was also influenced by the growing “Sabah for Sabahans” call along the state’s west coast, but stressed it was not racial in nature.
In Tawau, Chan Kok Wa, 48, told Malaysiakini that many Chinese voters no longer viewed DAP as a party that defended Sabah interests, particularly following its cooperation with both GRS and BN.
“If DAP had moved on its own, using the ‘rocket’ logo, maybe they could have won,” he said.
Sabah for Sabahans
Wong Fook Lim, 65, a retired Penampang resident who now works as a Grab driver, said DAP was increasingly viewed as detached from Sabah-based decision-making.
“If something happens in Sabah, they still have to ask their bosses in Kuala Lumpur,” he said. “They are not local.”
Wong said the sentiment was also influenced by the growing “Sabah for Sabahans” call along the state’s west coast, but stressed it was not racial in nature.
DAP flag
“This is not about Chinese or Malay leaders,” he said. “It’s about whether leaders work for the people. No doubt some DAP leaders are hardworking, but the problem is they can’t make decisions on their own as they rely on their federal counterparts.”
Such sentiments may explain why DAP lost all its Sabah state seats to Warisan.
For Chan, however, Warisan emerged as the main beneficiary in urban seats not because of strong confidence, but because it was seen as the only viable alternative capable of unseating DAP.
“This is not about Chinese or Malay leaders,” he said. “It’s about whether leaders work for the people. No doubt some DAP leaders are hardworking, but the problem is they can’t make decisions on their own as they rely on their federal counterparts.”
Such sentiments may explain why DAP lost all its Sabah state seats to Warisan.
For Chan, however, Warisan emerged as the main beneficiary in urban seats not because of strong confidence, but because it was seen as the only viable alternative capable of unseating DAP.
E-invoicing and potholes
Another group of voters also voiced displeasure with DAP over governance issues.
“People are unhappy with the current situation. And when people are unhappy, they blame the government - and DAP is the government,” said 35-year-old Rebecca Chong.
The Sandakan resident cited water supply disruptions, electricity reliability, and business-related policies as factors that had steadily eroded confidence.
“E-invoicing is also making people very angry. Anything that makes business harder, people will complain,” she said.
Another group of voters also voiced displeasure with DAP over governance issues.
“People are unhappy with the current situation. And when people are unhappy, they blame the government - and DAP is the government,” said 35-year-old Rebecca Chong.
The Sandakan resident cited water supply disruptions, electricity reliability, and business-related policies as factors that had steadily eroded confidence.
“E-invoicing is also making people very angry. Anything that makes business harder, people will complain,” she said.
Business owners in Sabah have said the rollout of e-invoicing, a federal initiative, risks adding costs, compliance burdens, and cash-flow delays, particularly for small firms and importers who must reconcile real-time digital invoices with customs paperwork, foreign suppliers, patchy internet access, and legacy accounting systems.
Michael Yong, 38, from Kota Kinabalu, said disappointment with DAP had extended even to basic municipal issues.
He complained that even simple problems, such as potholes, were left unresolved for years.
“Even the basics DAP has failed to resolve (when they were part of government), such as potholes in the city, damaged streetlights, or roadside barricades that could take years before it is being fixed. Come on, Kota Kinabalu is a city!
“They have lost it. The current leaders in DAP are no longer the hardworking DAP politicians we knew several elections ago when they were still in the opposition,” he added.
Yong said veteran DAP leaders were more effective when the party was in opposition.
“The old ones, even the slightest amenity problems like this, are serious when it comes to calling the government to fix them.
“They were in the opposition before and more effective, but all that went down the drain when they became part of the government,” said Yong.
People want to see results
Following its defeat in the Sabah election, DAP has set for itself a six-month timeline to enact reforms - including on issues such as United Examination Certificate (UEC) recognition - in an effort to win back support from voters.
However, Chong said that just making noise about pushing for reforms will not be enough.
“Whether that reform push will really make a difference and win back the support of Sabah’s Chinese voters is hard to say, because people now just want to see results,” she said.
Many of the voters Malaysiakini spoke to said they were adopting a wait-and-see approach, and did not rule out supporting DAP again if the party reasserts its independence, strengthens its Sabah leadership, and distances itself from federal political manoeuvring.
“We will have to see how they perform now,” Chan said.
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