Sabahan voters look at personalities, not parties, says analyst

Free Malaysia Today

James Chin says Sabahans are more willing to accept the participation of peninsula-based parties at state elections since they possess greater resources.  Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/04/30/sabahan-voters-look-at-personalities-not-parties-says-analyst  Laporan Lanjut: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2025/04/30/pengundi-sabah-lebih-perhati-personaliti-berbanding-parti  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5 Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews #SallehSaidKeruak #BarisanNasional #PRNSabah

Transcript

00:00An analyst said Barisan National has historically done well in Sabah because voters tend to lean towards well-founded and well-funded personalities rather than party affiliations.

00:14University of Tasmania professor James Shin said this is unlike in Sarawak, where voters prioritize local parties over candidates.

00:23He said politicians with charisma and strong financial backing will have little difficulty winning over Sabah voters, citing UMNO Sabah chief Bongbuktar Radin as an example.

00:36He said Sabah voters were willing to overlook any reservations they may have to accept peninsula-based parties like UMNO since they possess more resources.

00:45Chin was responding to a statement by former Sabah chief minister Saleh Sa'i Kerak that the state cannot follow Sarawak's lead and shut out national parties from its upcoming state elections.

00:59Awang Asman Pawi of University Malaya said Saleh appeared to be reminding voters that unlike Sarawak, Sabah is prepared to accept peninsula-based parties.

01:09He said Saleh's remarks are a subtle attempt to prepare Sabahans for a BN Pakatan Harapan alliance at the state polls.

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