With 36 hours left before polling, there is still no clear indicator which party will win the Sabah state election this Saturday.
It is still a neck-to-neck race especially between the two main contenders - Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Warisan Plus - to determine which coalition will rule Sabah for the next five years.
The chances for both sides of political divide is still open with 50-50 chance and what they do and who can win the hearts and minds of the voters in this last lap of campaign will determine their fate.
This is the conclusion drawn by Dr Zaini Othman, a political analyst who went to ground and carried out studies in most parts of the state during the election which offers 73 seats.
Zaini, who is also Sabah geopolitics and electoral researcher from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) said the absence of the clear indicator was probably due to the fact that the state election came as a bombshell and all the political parties and the voters alike were not actually prepared for it.
He said this caused internal bickering among the parties due to the dissatisfaction on the many hasty decisions made including in the selection of candidates.
These internal conflicts cause other implications to occur including elements of sabotage, members venturing out to contest as independent candidates and the revival of long-forgotten parties used as platforms for them to join in the fray.
“Thus, it is not surprising when there are 447 candidates contesting in this state election, which is greater than the number of candidates competing in the 14th General Election for the state and parliamentary seats combined,” he told Bernama.
Zaini said his studies indicated domestic concerns were more prominent compared to national issues, including the possible change of administration in Putrajaya which was seen as a ‘cosmetic’ distraction that has no effect on the results of the state election.
Sharing his sentiment is a Universiti Malaysia Sabah senior lecturer and researcher, Dr Syahruddin Awang Ahmad who said prediction on which side would win could not be done for the clashing sides have their strengths and weaknesses, whether in terms of how well they could convey their campaign messages to the voters or address local issues raised by the people.
He said the clash between Warisan Plus and GRS is intense and only a few seats are expected to see large majority while the rest, especially those with multi-cornered fights, are expected to record a small majority.
GRS is made up of PN, BN and PBS while Warisan Plus consists of Warisan, DAP and Amanah as well as its allies UPKO and PKR.
“Victory is still unpredictable until the night before the polls because issues that arose in the first and the second week of campaigning became liabilities to the candidates and parties from both blocs,” he said.
For Dr Romzi Ation, a political researcher with UMS, campaigning has reached almost its full throttle which is indicated by the increasing numbers of posters of the candidates and their constant presence on the ground.
Romzi opined that Warisan Plus was getting more and more attention from the people, however it was not easy for the coalition to win the hearts and minds of the voters this time around because GRS still have strong support in many of the constituencies.
“At this point, I see the chance of wining between Warisan Plus and GRS remains at 50:50,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Fri Sep 25 2020
The absence of the clear indicator was probably due to the fact that the state election came as a bombshell and all the political parties and the voters alike were not actually prepared for it, Sept 24 2020. BERNAMApic.
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Mohamed Khaled tiba di Indonesia, dijadual bertemu Prabowo
Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin tiba di Jakarta hari ini untuk lawatan kerja rasmi sulung beliau ke Indonesia sejak memegang jawatan itu.
SPRM mohon maklumat dari Jerman
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) memohon maklumat terkini daripada pihak berkuasa Jerman mengenai dana bon 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dipercayai digunakan untuk membeli kereta mewah di negara itu pada 26 Okt 2022.
SPRM siasat pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air
Seorang pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air disiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana disyaki melantik beberapa syarikat yang mempunyai kepentingan dengannya membabitkan beberapa projek pembekalan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM300,000.
Kembangkan kandungan tempatan melalui AI
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Organisasi Kerjasama Digital (DCO) Deemah Al Yahya, terdapat 2.7 peratus daripada penduduk dunia tidak berhubung malah tidak mempunyai sambungan asas internet. Beliau turut berkata infrastruktur pengkomputeran setiap negara perlu mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengembangkan kandungan tempatan khususnya yang melibatkan penggunaan AI.
AI tidak dapat ganti guru
Menteri Pendidikan Rwanda, Gaspard Twagirayezu berkata kepesatan teknologi AI dalam pendidikan tidak dapat menggantikan guru malah membantu guru dalam menyediakan bahan pengajaran yang bermanfaat kepada pelajar.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 28 April 2024.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: Dunia perlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi ke Orde Baharu - Menteri Luar Arab Saudi
Menteri Luar Negeri Arab Saudi, Putera Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud berkata dunia memerlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi daripada Orde Dunia Lama kepada Orde Baharu. Jelasnya, persaingan ini akan memberi manfaat dalam bentuk kos pengeluaran lebih rendah, perkembangan inovasi dan pelaburan lebih baik. #MesyuaratKhasWEF #WEF
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: BN sokong mana-mana calon daripada Kerajaan Perpaduan
Calon yang dipilih berdasarkan persefahaman bersama dalam kalangan BN, Pakatan Harapan (PH) atau parti-parti komponen yang lain.
Teruskan perjuangan bela parti selagi hayat dikandung badan - Tajuddin
Katanya, matlamat beliau hanya untuk membantu parti UMNO kembali bangkit menebus kekalahan pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 lalu.
Tengku Zafrul diberi tugas khas - Zahid Hamidi
Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz diberi tugas khas untuk menyusun strategi aktiviti politik di luar kerangka UMNO dan Barisan Nasional (BN).
Kerajaan pandang serius pihak main sentimen rakyat - Asyraf Wajdi
Mesyuarat sepakat agar kerajaan bertindak tegas menurut lunas-lunas perundangan dan tidak berkompromi dengan sebarang tindakan melampau yang boleh menjejaskan kestabilan negara ini.
BN hormati kerusi DUN milik rakan dalam Kerajaan Perpaduan, sokong bakal calon
BN menghormati kerusi DUN Kuala Kubu Baharu yang dimiliki oleh rakan parti dalam Kerajaan Perpaduan dan akan menyokong calon yang dipilih oleh Anwar.
UMNO bertemu akar umbi bagi perkukuhkan parti
Ia bagi memberi penjelasan terhadap isu-isu yang menjadi persoalan buat mereka bagi memperkukuhkan lagi parti itu.
Muhyiddin label kerajaan PH-BN ‘desperado’
Ahli Parlimen Pagoh itu turut mencabar kerajaan isytiharkan enam kerusi Parlimen dan satu kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor dikosongkan.
BN sedia letak calon jika enam kerusi bersatu dikosongkan - Ahmad Zahid
Barisan Nasional (BN) sedia meletakkan calon bagi merebut kembali kerusi disandang Ahli Parlimen Bersatu sekiranya pengosongan enam kerusi berkenaan berlaku.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Rabu, 28 Februari 2024.
Mahkamah tolak rayuan calon BN, Mas Ermieyati kekal Ahli Parlimen Masjid Tanah
Mas Ermieyati kekal Ahli Parlimen Masjid Tanah selepas Mahkamah Persekutuan menolak rayuan calon BN untuk membatalkan kemenangannya dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 (PRU15).