KOTA KINABALU - It began with a sombre evening as the sun sets after the polls closed yesterday. Members of the press started gathering at Warisan president's residence at Rumah Yayasan Sabah. Throngs of leaders from Warisan Plus and allies such as Pejuang came to show support.
Among them were Chua Tian Chang or commonly known as Tian Chua, vice president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) who came together with Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari to garner support during the campaign in Sabah.
Speaking to The Vibes, Tian Chua commented that the outcome of the Sabah election confirmed that politics in the country is very fragmented.
"The results just confirmed that Malaysian politics is very fragmented.
"It requires a lot of effort and wisdom for the political elites in this country to recreate stability as well as to build a new consensus among all those elected," Chua said.
The quiet evening turned a little festive when young Warisan supporters chanting 'Warisan Bermaruah' (Warisan with dignity) although Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) announced victory with the unofficial results at 9.20pm.
However, just a nick of time before midnight, the Election Commission's website finally unveiled all official results with GRS garnering a simple majority at 38 seats. Warisan is the single largest party with 29 seats, coming in second is Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition with 17 seats.
Tian Chua shared about the situation inside when leaders from various allies arrived at Shafie's residence. While supporters were chanting support outside, the press was still in the dark about the discussions inside the residence.
"I think it's okay. I think people are calm and we have to face a new situation where politics in Sabah is a lot more fragmented than before the election. Although the people have spoken and given their choices in each constituency.
"We have not seen a cohesive force that has yet to give confidence that there will be a stable government but then again, this is up to Sabahans, the political parties in Sabah to reach a consensus for the sake of the welfare and the development of Sabah," he added.
Sabah's PKR managed to defend their incumbent seats in Api-Api and Inanam, won by Sabah PKR chairperson Christina Liew and newcomer Peto Galim who defeated incumbent Kenny Chua who defected to support the former chief minister and Sibuga assemblyman Tan Sri Musa Aman in July.
PKR contested in 7 constituencies and the party machinery was seen putting a lot of focus in their campaign in Sook constituency represented by Raymond Ahuar. PN was represented by Elron bin Angin, winning the seat with 1,232 majority votes.
"Well, it was a tough fight. We were able to retain our seats and that show we remain to be strong in our traditional areas. In other places also we have done our part in performing, and play as a team. Definitely, there are a lot more for us to evaluate and improve.
"Politics is a long process and we don't exist just for one election. We will continue to stay close to the people and continue to struggle for the rights and the welfare of the people in Sabah." - The Vibes, September 27, 2020.
