Armizan: Claims of Chinese voter rejection of GRS oversimplify election results

PAPAR (Dec 20): Claims that the Chinese community had totally turned away from the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)-led government in the last state election do not reflect the full picture on the ground, GRS Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference here on Saturday, Armizan said the issue of swing votes among Chinese voters had been widely discussed at both state and national levels following the election results.

“We took note of the trend in the last state election, and there were many discussions that there was a swing in votes among our Chinese friends, where the Chinese community did not support the ruling parties,” he said.

However, Armizan stressed that GRS did not contest seats with a majority Chinese electorate, as those constituencies were contested by its Pakatan Harapan (PH) partners.

Citing Pantai Manis in Papar as an example, he said one polling district, PDM Bandar, is predominantly Chinese and had been a difficult area for his party historically.

“If we look at PDM Bandar, for more than five elections previously, our party lost there. In the last general election when I contested, there was an increase in support, but we still lost,” he said.

Nevertheless, Armizan noted that in the most recent election, the Pantai Manis seat, which has a majority Chinese population and was contested by a GRS candidate, was won after several attempts.

“So, to say that, in total, the Chinese community rejected GRS or our partners is not entirely accurate,” he said, adding that while there were areas where PH, particularly DAP, lost, the results should be seen as a signal for improvement rather than outright rejection.

He said election outcomes should be respected and viewed as feedback from voters.

“What is important is that certain communities may be giving us signals that require our attention and call for improvements. We need to accept and respect this decision, and look at what we need to improve to build their confidence,” he said.

Armizan also emphasised that with the election over and the Sabah government formed, GRS now bears the responsibility of governing for all Sabahans, regardless of their political choices.

“Once a government is formed, we are a government for every Sabahan. We are not a government only for those who voted for us. Whether they supported us previously or not is their democratic right, but once the government is formed, we are a government for all,” he said.

He added that GRS is currently conducting a post-mortem to identify issues that need to be addressed, including concerns raised by the Chinese community.

“Beyond the post-mortem, what is most important is that we fulfil our manifesto commitments and translate them into the direction of the state government,” he said.

Armizan said Sabahans are now looking forward to the state government’s roadmap under GRS leadership for the next five years, noting that the Sabah Maju Jaya 2.0 (SMJ 2.0) plan is expected to be introduced starting in 2026.

“The election is over, and there cannot be a long honeymoon period. In less than two weeks, the new year will begin,” he said.

He urged Cabinet members and the state’s administrative machinery to expedite the presentation of the SMJ 2.0 roadmap for the 2026–2030 period, saying it is crucial not only for the people but also for the public service, investors and the private sector.

“This plan is important so that everyone understands the core direction of the government and can work together to drive Sabah’s development,” he said.

Chinese voters Gabungan Rakyat Sabah lead Sabah state election