Anwar's ally still in charge of Sabah, but danger looms for his own base

Cynicism among PH supporters could snowball with several states due for polls

- Shannon Teoh Malaysia Bureau Chief

This simplified what pundits and players alike had initially expected to be a prolonged period of horsetrading to form a broad-based state government.

There was no real need to resolve ideological differences, as the two main hopefuls quickly made their bids to reach a simple majority in the 73-strong legislature.

"The real election is after the election when all the negotiations take place," a top aide to a Sabahan party leader told The Straits Times ahead of the Nov 29 vote.

But the customary post-election period in Sabah was over in a flash as Chief Minister Hajiji Noor was sworn in for a second term in the wee hours of Nov 30.

There was no real shock and mystery unlike during the previous two editions, when the incumbent had finished with a healthy tally but was undone by defections or unable to pull together a grand coalition.

In this case, Datuk Seri Hajiji's Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) finished top of the pile with 29 seats, while main rival Parti Warisan, led by former chief minister Shafie Apdal, took a credible 25.

Swiftly outmanoeuvring his Warisan rival Shafie through late-night alliance deals, Mr Hajiji formed a coalition state government with United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO)'s three seats, Pakatan Harapan (PH)'s sole win, and five independent candidates.

Sources told ST that despite the speediness of Mr Hajiji's swearing in, it was a close run as Datuk Seri Shafie at one point believed he was just one seat shy of the simple majority of 37. This perhaps was why Mr Hajiji rushed to draw things to a conclusion at 3am, rather than risk cold feet from his new allies.

Nonetheless, both GRS and Warisan increased their tally from the last vote in 2020, as Sabahans shifted towards homegrown parties, resulting in national ones being trounced.