Making Sense of the Sabah Elections & What it Means For Our National Political Scene

The Sabah state elections took place last Saturday and what an absolutely heart-pounding affair it turned out to be. Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), the coalition comprising UMNO, Perikatan Nasional and PBS won 38 out of 73 seats, one seat more than required to form a simple majority government. Warisan+ (Warisan, PKR, DAP, Amanah) won 32 seats, while 3 seats were clinched by independent candidates. What transpired after was convoluted elite political drama -- it is the new normal of Malaysian politics after all -- that left many people annoyed, intrigued and scratching their heads in confusion… sometimes all at the same time. We do a deep dive into the Sabah state elections results and aftermath, and also its implications on our national political scene, with Dr Bridet Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute.

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