Sabah election: Incumbent GRS, opponents spar over who failed more and needed saving while holding power
The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition defended its track record in improving the state’s fortunes as hustings for the Nov 29 election heat up.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah deputy secretary-general Armizan Mohd Ali (left) and Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Bung Moktar Radin. (Photos: Facebook/Armizan Mohd Ali, Bung Moktar Radin)
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KUALA LUMPUR: A representative of the coalition that leads the Sabah state government has hit back at claims by an opposition member that it is the “most failed” government in the world, dismissing the remarks as self-defeating and misleading.
Armizan Mohd Ali, deputy secretary-general of the incumbent Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, accused Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Bung Moktar Radin of being the “most failed Public Works Minister in the history of mankind” instead.
After the previous Sabah election in 2020, GRS had formed the state government together with PH and BN, but BN left the coalition government in 2023 when some of its members tried and failed to topple GRS chairman and Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor’s leadership in a political crisis known as the Kinabalu Move.
Armizan attributed the GRS administration’s slow start to Bung Moktar’s tenure as Sabah’s Minister of Public Works from 2021 to 2022, when he said critical projects to stabilise water and electricity supply stalled.
“Actually, the GRS government lost the first two years of its administration because we had to endure Bung Moktar as the most failed Public Works Minister in the history of mankind,” Armizan told reporters on Wednesday (Nov 19), as quoted by news portal The Vibes.
“Fate of God dictated that Bung, as the ‘failed minister’, left the state government, allowing many projects to stabilise water and electricity supply to commence in Sabah.”
Armizan’s remarks came after Bung Moktar, during a campaign speech for the 17th Sabah state election in Lamag, described GRS as a government that had failed in managing the state’s people, economy and unity.
Bung has repeated his claims regarding the failures of the GRS government multiple times, including during an interview with CNA.
Water and electricity disruptions as well as poor roads have been perennial problems in Sabah, and opposition parties like BN and Warisan have sought to portray GRS as having failed to solve these issues ahead of Polling Day on Nov 29, when over 1.7 million Sabahans are set to elect their state legislative assembly.
But GRS and its coalition partner Pakatan Harapan (PH) have shot back by saying the East Malaysian state’s problems existed even when the opposition was in power.
“During Bung Moktar’s tenure as Public Works Minister, no major water stabilisation projects were initiated,” Armizan said.
Armizan cited how construction of the Tawau Cinta Mata 2 Water Treatment Plant only began construction on Jul 22 this year after Bung Moktar had left office, and is expected to be completed by 2028.
Similarly, he said upgrading works on the Kogopon Water Treatment Plant in Papar, despite being planned earlier, only started in August 2023 under the new minister Shahelmey Yahya.
Shahelmey was one of the BN members who refused to support Bung Moktar during the Kinabalu Move.
Armizan added: “Both projects were already in planning. As Minister of Public Works, Bung should not point fingers at others for their failure. The reality is he was a failed minister because his successor was able to drive these projects forward.”
On electricity supply across the state, Armizan noted that several stabilisation initiatives, such as the Eastern Coast Southern Link Phase I Grid Network, were only implemented after Bung Moktar and BN left the state government.
Bung Moktar will defend his Lamag seat in a six-way fight that includes candidates from GRS and Warisan. Armizan is not contesting in the election.
While analysts acknowledge Lamag as a hot seat, they noted that Bung Moktar continues to enjoy strong grassroots support due to his long service and political presence in Kinabatangan.
“Although several local parties are ready to challenge BN, Bung Moktar still has a firm grip on Lamag because he is not just a politician but a bold figure who has served as Member of Parliament for Kinabatangan for six terms,” University Malaysia Sabah political analyst Romzi Ationg told Bernama.
SAVE SABAH FROM WHAT?
Separately, GRS secretary-general Masidi Manjun on Wednesday questioned Warisan’s “Save Sabah” slogan, asking what exactly the state needed saving from.
In mid-2025, Warisan launched its “Selamatkan Sabah” (Save Sabah) campaign, pledging to fix the state’s water crisis and prioritise local development.
But Armizan told news website Free Malaysia Today that Sabah is faring much better now than under Warisan president Shafie Apdal’s previous administration from 2018 to 2020.
In 2020, then-Chief Minister Shafie called a snap election to nullify a coup attempt but was ultimately defeated by GRS, paving the way for the latter to form the state government with Hajiji at the helm.
Masidi said Sabah’s financial reserves have grown to RM8.6 billion (US$2.07 billion) in 2024 under Hajiji’s leadership - which he said was a marked improvement since GRS took over from Warisan five years ago.
Another Free Malaysia Today report on Aug 26 quoted a GRS politician as saying that Sabah’s reserves had more than doubled since GRS helmed the state, up from RM3.2 billion under Warisan.
“So what is there to save?” Masidi asked, warning that the real risk lies in Warisan potentially squandering the funds GRS has worked diligently to secure.
“If anything, we (GRS) may end up needing to save the state government (in the future).”
Masidi is seeking a sixth term as the Karanaan assemblyman, and will defend his seat in a seven-cornered fight against candidates from GRS and BN, among others.
The state finance minister also accused GRS’s rivals of attempting to downplay the coalition’s accomplishments by portraying the significant progress made as nothing more than ordinary.
This could jeopardise the significant progress Sabah has achieved over the past five years, he warned, asserting that the GRS administration has proven it was more than capable of managing the state’s finances and economy.
“That is why, after the polls, the same people must be allowed to govern. We’ve already proven our capabilities. There’s nothing that needs saving,” Masidi added.
