PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) must not get carried away by DAP’s landslide victory in Sandakan.
This is the sentiment shared by political analysts who believe Saturday’s by-election victory is not indicative of extensive support, particularly in Peninsular Malaysia.
Merdeka Centre programme director Ibrahim Suffian pointed out that the political dynamics in Sabah and Sarawak are different from that of the Peninsular and do not serve as an indication of the people’s sentiments.
“Sandakan is just a reprieve after losses in Cameron Highlands, Semenyih and Rantau, so they should not rest on their laurels,” he told theSun yesterday.
Ibrahim attributed Vivian Wong’s victory largely to the fact that PH and Parti Warisan Sabah are the ruling parties at federal and state levels, whereas the Opposition no longer had the clout it did before the 14th general election.
“The voters see Warisan as part of PH, so there won’t be a problem channelling funds to the state for development,” he added.
Wong, who contested the seat vacated by her late father Datuk Stephen Wong, beat her closest rival Datuk Linda Tsen of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), by 11,521 votes.
In comparison, her father won the seat with a majority of 10,098.
Another analyst, Prof Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, also agreed that PH should not get ahead of itself despite the improved majority, citing the differing political landscape in Sabah and Sarawak.
“The issue concerning the bumiputra in particular, is more controversial in the Peninsular, (so political parties here) need to be cautious.”
