Sudden dissolution of Sabah assembly will have adverse effect on outstation voters, warns Bersih

BERSIH today called for clarity on the timing of the Sabah assembly’s dissolution, warning that a sudden election would disenfranchise over 200,000 Sabahans living outside the state.

Bersih acting executive director Asraf Sharafi said that if the assembly were dissolved abruptly, many Sabahans outside the state would not have enough time to return and cast their ballots.

“There are over 200,000 Sabahans outside the state, many of them students.

“If the government dissolves the assembly suddenly, they will not have enough time to plan their journey home and exercise their right to vote,” he told reporters at the launch of the Election Observer campaign in Kota Kinabalu on Monday.

He cited the 2020 state election, when only 20 out of more than 900 Sabah students at Universiti Sains Malaysia managed to return home to vote.

Also present were Sabah Bersih vice-chairman Fiqah Roslan, PACOS Trust executive director Anne Lasimbang, Bersih chair Faisal Aziz, Suara Mahasiswa UMS representative Qistina Qaisara, Borneo Komrad’s Sabir Syarifuddin, Pemantau Bersih coordinator Anas Nor’azim, Bersih steering committee member Alex Johnson, and Suara Mahasiswa UMS representative Abdul Qayyum.

In another development, Bersih announced it will deploy about 100 election observers across 30 high-stakes constituencies in Sabah.

They will focus on marginal seats, constituencies linked to corruption allegations, seats held by defectors, and the chief minister’s seat, said Fiqah.

The election watchdog listed Banggi, Pintasan, Petagas, Sindumin, Tulid, Telupid, Gum-Gum, Lamag, Tungku, Kunak, Balung and Kukusan as marginal seats.

It also identified Pitas, Karambunai, Pantai Manis, Lumadan, Liawan and Sebatik as marginal constituencies that also changed hands in the 2020 state election, while naming Tandek, Kemabong, Nabawan and Labuk as seats that changed hands.

Seats that “changed hands” are those won by a different party at the last election compared to the one that held them previously.

“These are the seats most vulnerable to money politics, corruption or party-hopping. They will be our priority,” Fiqah said.

Three-pronged election observing

Monitoring will take three forms: physical observation on the ground, digital tracking of online activity, and media scrutiny of campaign coverage.

Observers will document alleged irregularities, track campaign spending, and assess whether government media provides fair access to all contesting parties.

Reject money politics

Fiqah urged voters to play their part by rejecting vote-buying outright.

“We call on Sabahans to reject 100% the practice of vote-buying. The old narrative, that you can take the money but still vote freely, only sustains the culture of corruption. Don’t take the money at all,” she said.

Bersih also plans to hold workshops to educate citizens about their role in ensuring fair elections beyond just casting a ballot.

“Only through the people’s power can elections in Sabah truly be clean, free and fair,” Fiqah said.

The 17th Sabah election is expected to be held any time this year with the automatic disolution of the state assembly set on Nov 11.  - September 29, 2025