KUALA LUMPUR – The significant loss of support from traditionally loyal Chinese voters for Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 17th Sabah state election (PRN) is an important signal for the coalition to reassess its strategy ahead of the next general election.
Sabah PKR chairman Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the coalition’s current performance, particularly the shift in voting patterns among Chinese voters requires a thorough analysis to understand its underlying causes.
While acknowledging that PH did not expect such a considerable drop in support from its core Chinese voter base, Mustapha described the outcome as a wake-up call for Pakatan Harapan, especially Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
“We honestly did not anticipate losing such a substantial number of our hardcore supporters among Chinese voters.
“So after this, we need to carry out a post-mortem to understand what actually happened. For me, this is a wake-up call for Pakatan Harapan, particularly PKR, to re-evaluate our strategy,” he was quoted saying by Bernama.
He added that the lessons from this election give PH time and space to refine its approach and strategy before facing the 16th General Election.
“For preparations ahead of GE16, I think it’s good that we detected these issues early so that we can develop strategies to win back our loyal supporters and restore their confidence in Pakatan Harapan,” he said.
Mustapha also confirmed that his presence at the location today aligns with PKR’s official stance as announced by the party’s Secretary-General regarding the formation of the new Sabah state government.
“We are ready to be part of the state government that will be formed soon and to support Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as our incoming Chief Minister, insya-Allah,” he said.
In this election, Sabah DAP failed to win any of the eight seats it contested. PKR won just one of its 13 seats, while Amanah failed to secure the single seat it contested.
Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke took responsibility for DAP Sabah’s failure to win any seats.
“The party leadership will take heed of this result and review all our weaknesses, and we will work to regain the people’s support in future elections.
“DAP also congratulates the parties and candidates who received the mandate from voters in those constituencies,” he said.
The eight seats contested by Sabah DAP included six previously held seats, which was Luyang, Kapayan, Likas, Tanjong Papat, Elopura and Sri Tanjong, along with two new seats, Tanjung Aru and Kemabong.
Loke added that DAP Sabah still has two Members of Parliament who will intensify their efforts and ground work in Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. – November 30, 2025.