Kota Kinabalu, 30 September 2025
A coalition of Sabah local parties is the most correct way forward in facing the coming Sabah elections and in forming the Sabah government after the elections. Considering that the dominance of BN/UMNO in Sabah and in Malaysia is now a thing of the past, SAPP urges Sabahans to look at the successful and tested model of the political management of Sarawak.
Sarawak is our fellow Borneo territory, which shares similarities in culture, economy, history and its dynamic relationship with the Federal government. We both champion MA63 and reclaim our rights and resources.
As we all know, Sarawak is, and has always been, governed by its own coalition of Sarawak parties. In pursuing her rights with the federal government, the Sarawak government is not complicated by and not compromised by having Malaya parties in their cabinet or any other part of their government. Sarawak is a tested success story.
Big parties now need small parties
The world has changed. Malaysia has changed. And Sabah has changed. In the past, before the fall of BN-UMNO in 2018, small parties needed the goodwill of big parties to be part of the federal government. But now, the harsh reality is that big parties rely on small parties to form the government. This is an added bonus to the window of opportunity for Sabah parties that was first opened in 2008 when BN lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority.
SAPP is a local party that has seen our own ups and downs, our sweet and bitter experiences. We can confidently say that Sabah’s choice in the coming elections is a coalition of Sabah parties that are not beholden to anyone except to Sabah people.
Federal finances need the Sabah and Sarawak natural resources
Contrary to the federal version of the nation’s financial revenues, it is now a well-known fact that the federal government needs the revenues and riches of Sabah and Sarawak to even balance its budget and pay its national debt. Even Petronas needs the oil and gas of Sarawak and Sabah to sustain its profits.
The sad problem is that Sabah is also in dire and urgent need of the same financial resources for us to build up our infrastructure, our floods, mitigation, our education and health and our economy. As such, we need Sabah parties whose leaders are answerable only to the people of Sabah.
Sabah candidates to be decided by KL?
As people in Sabah are witnessing now, the candidates from Peninsular-based parties depend on their political masters to approve their candidacies. If they become wakil rakyat, would they not become subservient to the same political masters whose approval they needed to become candidates in the first place?
Even to launch a simple local election machinery, the local so-called leaders need their federal leaders to come. Can we expect the same local leaders to fearlessly champion the rights of Sabah?
The answer is clear and obvious.
Only Sabah parties should contest in Sabah elections
SAPP remains steadfast in our consistent policy that the Sabah state elections should be contested only by Sabah political parties because only Sabah parties are answerable and accountable to only the people of Sabah. Whereas non-local parties are answerable to their political masters outside Sabah.
When the federal coalition known as Perikatan Nasional insisted on contesting in Sabah, SAPP left that coalition in December 2024 because the intention of PN was irreconcilable with SAPP’s stand.
Let Sabahans decide for ourselves. The Sabah government respects and accepts the Federal government of the day. Likewise, the federal government should respect and accept the Sabah government of the day. Ony then can we have political stability. After six decades of Malaysia as a federation of three regions (consisting of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak), we can make Malaysia function as a vibrant, prosperous and peaceful nation of three regions.
Datuk Yong Teck Lee
President, SAPP
Ex-Chief Minister 28 May 1996 – 27 May 1998