SABAH people are greatly sceptical to political messages and claims as the state elections loom, a think-tank reports.

A social media analysis by the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, held shortly after the dissolution of the Sabah state assembly, found “frogging-induced cynicism” rife among internet users.

The findings, published in the report “Sabah Elections 2020: Sentiments Trending on Social Media”, provide a snapshot of the views and comments in the state’s online media spaces.

“Many commenters regularly remind people of how specific politicians and parties have changed allegiances in the past and how anything they promise is merely temporary.

“Since any politician or even political party can change allegiance at will, elections appear purely ceremonial, and the final winners are determined through processes outside of voters’ control,” the report said.

The term “frogging” has been coined in Sabah to indicate the ease with which politicians hop from one political party to another.

On the other hand, political parties that have remained firm and never wavered are viewed positively in these online discussions.

The research showed that a vigorous online discourse emerged in Sabah soon after the dissolution of the state assembly on July 30, which was brought about by the defection of 13 state assemblymen to the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
 
Cynicism over party-hopping, wariness of the role of cyber troopers, and a deepening political divide between East and West Malaysia stood out as major concerns among Sabah voters.

Both Warisan Plus and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah were viciously condemned by social media users, particularly Sabah people.

Warisan was denigrated as a “migrant” party in reference to its proposal to introduce the Sabah Temporary Pass in an attempt to document illegal immigrants.
 
Its opponents suggested the pass was a veiled attempt at legalising undocumented immigrants and set them on the path towards becoming full citizens.

“When combined with the party’s strong affiliation to Sabah East Coast indigenous groups (which are closely related to Filipino indigenous groups), this (pass) was seen as an attempt to alter Sabah’s precarious demographics.”

Where GRS is concerned, most online discussions highlighted the failures and the abysmal governance of BN, which had ruled the state for the most part since the 1980s.

The most common phrase directed at BN was “robbers of the state” which referred to the poor economic state Sabah was in after decades of the coalition “plundering” its natural resources.
 
“This serves as the basis for growing anti-Peninsular/Malaya sentiments in many online spaces,” the research said.

Anti-peninsula

However, these sentiments were not propped up without help, as in the past 10 years the country has seen the rise of “cybertroopers” on social media platforms, it added.

Cybertroopers are special operatives who act on behalf of political parties to infiltrate online discussion spaces to manipulate public opinion.

Sabah online space was not spared the presence of cybertroopers, and Sabah politicians openly accused each other of employing them to conduct smear campaigns against their opponents.

However, the impact of cybertroopers in Sabah was not nearly as strong as in West Malaysia.

The research found that debates remained vibrant, and Sabah people openly discussed political issues in non-partisan digital spaces.

“Dissenting posts are not immediately dismissed as cybertrooper fodder, and commenters instead willingly engage with them,” the research said.

However, the strongest sentiment online right now was resentment over Sabah’s current position within the Malaysian federation.

“United under the clarion call of ‘Sabah for Sabahans’, many threads include calls for Sabah to be more self-governing and to be less subservient to Putrajaya.”

This desire is translated into a call for people to support parties that can deliver a solid promise and wish to break the hegemony of the federal government.

The online survey showed that much of Sabahans’ resentment was aimed at BN and Umno for enslaving their beloved state.

“Any point raised about Sabah lacking infrastructure, economic well-being or political stability is often linked to interference and intervention from across the South China Sea.

“Hopelessness and cynicism serve as the foundation for Sabahans to yearn for changes that can strengthen the state and give them more agency within the federation,” the report said.

Based on the electoral roll, there are about 1.11 million registered voters in Sabah. Saturday’s elections will see 447 candidates from various parties contest over 73 seats. – September 24, 2020.