LAHAD DATU: All parties have been urged to practise mature politics and avoid sensitive issues, particularly those related to race, religion and royalty (3R), including during election campaigns.
Political observer and community activist M. Ridzal (pic) said the Kinabatangan–Lamag by-election campaign has begun to be affected by the actions of irresponsible supporters attempting to draw the Palace institution into political contestation.
He said the use of images involving the Sabah Head of State, Tun Musa Aman, has sparked controversy and was inappropriate.
According to him, such actions go beyond normal campaign strategies and touch on issues that are sensitive to the public.
“As a political observer, I view this as a desperate attempt to create perceptions and emotional responses among voters.
“Linking the Palace to the campaign of any political party is not only unethical, but also misleading to the public and creates the impression that the state’s highest institution is aligned with a particular political bloc,” he said in a statement.
M. Ridzal said that the Palace should not be used as a tool for political propaganda, noting that Musa, as Yang di-Pertua Negeri, represents the head of state within the royal institution.
He said any attempt to associate Musa, directly or indirectly, with political campaigns constitutes a form of political manipulation that could undermine the principle of neutrality, which is fundamental to the stability of Sabah’s system of governance.
“Mature politics should be based on policy arguments, service records, and future commitments to the people, not on creating misleading narratives by exploiting respected institutions for short-term political gain,” he said.
He said the by-election should serve as a platform for healthy competition of ideas and development proposals, and called on all parties to return to the principles of mature democracy by respecting the role of the Palace as a neutral symbol of the state, free from political interests.
