CARETAKER prime minister Najib Razak and his old mentor Dr Mahathir Mohamad are the two combatants who have turned the general election into their personal showdown, but the two arch enemies are conspicuously absent in Sabah.

Whether by design or new electoral ruless, the billboards of Najib asking voters to “Hebatkan Negaraku”, or Make Malaysia Great, which are ubiquitous elsewhere, are missing in this state and in Labuan.

Dr Mahathir’s smiling mugshot is also nowhere to be seen, but then he is not welcome in the state because of Project IC, a programme granting citizenship to Muslim foreigners to balance out the political power of Christians from the large Kadazan Dusun Murut community.

The community is seen as the kingmaker in GE14 as the dominant Sabah Umno now faces competition from Parti Warisan Sabah for the Muslim Bumiputera and Malay votes.

These groups form the bulk of the populace in about 20 of the 60 state seats. Campaigns here revolve around their needs, their religion and the economy.

But the Muslims’ cause is far for being helped by the many parties hoping to be picked to represent the community.

Their revered Huguan Siou is caretaker deputy chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is up against his two siblings for the Tambunan state seat. 

Warisan chief Shafie Apdal, who was sacked from the cabinet and Umno three years ago, is barnstorming up and down the state, with the slogan “Sabah Ubah” or Change Sabah for more autonomy for Sabah.

Shafie has ventured far from his power base on the east coast to campaign on the west coast, where he appeared in Labuan last night and will speak in Kota Kinabalu today.

His party believes the opposition pact can win 35 of the 60 seats and form the government with him as chief minister. But Warisan is only contesting in 45 state seats, leaving the rest to its allies.

“It all boils down to Barisan Nasional chief Musa Aman and his 15-year track record as chief minister against Shafie’s call for change,” said a political pundit, noting incumbency gives Musa an advantage although Sabah has been known to change governments in the past.

“It’s all local issues and rivalry here. So Najib, Dr Mahathir or 1MDB don’t figure much,” he said, referring to the debt-laden state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd, which financial shenanigans have served as fodder for the opposition’s political mill on the peninsula. – May 5, 2018.