KUCHING: The outcome of Sabah’s 17th state election has been described as a sharp rebuke of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) three-year performance in government, with the coalition winning only one of the 20 seats it contested, reflecting a quiet yet decisive shift among voters and signalling a deeper confidence crisis for PH and the Democratic Action Party (DAP).
In his statement, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Kuching Branch Youth Chief, Nicholas Wung, said the outcome amounted to a “harsh report card” for the coalition, highlighting the shift in voter sentiment as a warning for the wider political landscape.
“The eight seats that Sabah DAP had previously held firmly were swept away by voters through a quiet vote swing, without noise or confrontation.
“This silent wave is a political tsunami driven by Sabah Chinese localism,” he said.
He warned that the trend is not isolated.
“Whether this force will spread nationwide in the general election two years from now is no longer a question, but a warning sign,” he added.
According to Wung, the DAP Secretary-General, Anthony Loke, convened an emergency central committee meeting lasting four hours, later admitting that the party and PH are facing a “serious confidence crisis” and pledging to accelerate reforms over the next six months, following the heavy losses.
Wung questioned the credibility of that commitment.
“PH came to power in 2022 on promises of reform and anti-corruption. Now they say they want to accelerate reform.
“Doesn’t that mean admitting that reforms have failed to meet expectations over the past three years?” he questioned.
He also cited former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s post-election analysis, which noted that DAP’s support in Sabah has fallen sharply.
“Support that was once at 80 per cent has now dropped below 30 per cent,” Wung said.
“Khairy highlighted six traditional DAP strongholds where support plunged from 78 per cent in 2020 to 27 per cent, calling it a 51 per cent collapse,” he cited.
Wung said Khairy further argued that DAP’s transformation from a party of resistance to one perceived as compromising and “lacking backbone” has disillusioned supporters.
“Once they entered Putrajaya, they became silent and arrogant, making many former supporters feel DAP is no longer the party it used to be, Khairy had said, warning that the party risks losing its Peninsular Malaysian strongholds in the next general election,” he said.
Wung added that Sabah DAP’s last-minute appeals to “keep the flame alive” failed to sway voters.
“The strong anti-West Malaysian party sentiment was too powerful. Voters made a rational and determined choice to reject,” he said.
He stressed that Sarawak should take heed of the message sent across the border.
“This silent rejection deserves Sarawak’s attention. The warning from Sabah is loud and clear,” he said.
