Kota Kinabalu: The record 597 candidates fighting for 73 seats in the 17th state election proves democracy is working well in the State, according to young advocates working to improve political awareness in Sabah.
“It shows that democracy is alive in Sabah,” said Anak Sabah Movement spokesperson, Atalia Mae Albert Jaua, when met at the Kelas Ko Ada Kuasa Bah jointly hosted by Hai Mandak, Sabah Youth Movement and Bersih at Gaya Street.
The 24-year-old law graduate said the high number of candidates is a good sign, though it raised concerns about division.
She noted that some areas have 13 to 14 candidates competing for just one seat, with independent candidates making up the biggest group at 74, although too many voices could mean less unity.
“Of course, there is a worry where there is too much democracy in a way that everyone has something to say and have knowledge. But the problem is there is no unity.
“What I strongly believe is every Sabahan, no matter if you are a politician or the people, you must firstly have knowledge, secondly, a brave voice and also unity. Because if you do not have either one, you are bound to have problems,” she said.
“We as the movements or NGOs do not want to teach people who to vote, but encourage them to learn and observe on who to vote,” Atalia said.
She added that important topics like the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the 40 per cent revenue share need better public understanding.
“People need to understand what is the 40 per cent. Other than that, we have more rights that are still ongoing. We must fight for it. But we need to understand that we cannot do it alone.
“We must have everyone. It is not an effort of one or two people, but every Sabahan,” she said.
Hai Mandak spokesperson, Priska Magdalene Sinem, 20s, said many young voters feel fed up with politics, even though they make up 54 per cent of new voters under Undi18, which lowered the voting age to 18.
“A lot of Gen Zs are really tired with all this dirty politics. But they are also hoping for a better government,” Priska said, adding that she and her friends have been giving political education classes since February to help bridge this gap.
The youth groups said they want to help voters make smart choices, not tell them who to vote for.
Bersih Executive Director Asraf Sharafi noted that this election has more candidates than any election since possibly 1985 and urged voters to ask tough questions about what candidates plan to do.
“What is more important is for the people to question what their (candidates) policies are, what their manifestos are, what struggles they have brought before.
“This is an important question that the people need to ask not only of newly emerging parties but also parties that have been around for a long time,” he said, noting that most parties have not released their manifestos or plans for Sabah.
“This is a big weakness that we see in this state election. Before this, during campaign launches there were manifesto launches, but this time there seems to be none,” he said.
Bersih watched 23 nomination centres on Saturday and will send observers to look out for wrongdoing over the next two weeks, especially vote-buying.
“We expect there may be money politics because there are many marginal seats and with this many parties and candidates, a party or candidate may not need to get very many votes to win. So, the issue of money politics, we cannot separate from this,” Asraf said, urging voters to reject such practices.
