The 2025 Sabah state election delivered one of the clearest political messages Sabahans have sent in years: a total rejection of Peninsular-based parties, a massive resurgence of local Sabahan forces, and a shift that may reshape the federation itself.
No coalition suffered a deeper humiliation than Pakatan Harapan (PH), while Warisan emerged as the night’s most significant winner — not in seat count alone, but in symbolic political meaning.
And beneath these results lies a deeper tremor: the rising prospect of East Malaysian separation.
PH’s Total Collapse: A Wipeout Across Sabah
PH’s performance was nothing short of catastrophic.
According to the Election Commission’s full results, PH managed to win only one seat out of the many it contested (full official results).
Its components suffered equally dramatic defeats:
- DAP lost all eight seats it contested, a wipeout confirmed by national reporting (DAP loses all eight seats).
- Urban strongholds such as Luyang, Kapayan and Likas — once safe zones — fell one after another.
- The broader collapse of Peninsular coalitions was described as part of a “local tsunami” that swept Sabah (local tsunami wipes out Peninsular parties).
The wipeout was so extensive that analysts now regard PH as the single biggest loser of the election.
For many Sabahans, the message was unmistakable:
Peninsular parties cannot speak for Sabah.
Warisan’s Comeback: The Night’s Real Winner
In contrast, Warisan surged back with unexpected force, making it the biggest political winner in terms of momentum and symbolism.
The official tally shows Warisan capturing 25 seats, making it Sabah’s largest opposition bloc (full official results).
Warisan’s breakthroughs were most dramatic in urban areas:
- It swept seats long dominated by PH components — a shift highlighted by multiple newsrooms as a key feature of the night’s “local tsunami” (Warisan surges in cities).
- Party president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal retained Senallang decisively (Shafie retains Senallang).
Warisan may not have formed government, but it emerged as the emotional and political centre of Sabah’s identity politics — a party that Sabahans see as their own.
Warisan’s rise signals a powerful truth:
Sabah-first politics has become the new mainstream.
Peninsular Parties Rejected Across the Board
The collapse of PH was not an isolated outcome — it was part of a broader rejection of all Peninsular-backed coalitions.
Reports identified the election as a wipeout of Peninsular-based parties across the state, with Sabahans choosing to rally around local alternatives (Peninsula parties suffer wipeout).
Even long-established powerhouses like UMNO and PKR struggled to maintain relevance, while newer Peninsular entrants made no meaningful gains.
In contrast:
- GRS dominated with 29 seats
- Warisan surged
- Sabah-based parties became the core of the state assembly
This is more than a result — it is a political verdict:
Sabah belongs to Sabahans, not Peninsular coalitions
What This Means: The Growing Prospect of East Malaysian Separation
The outcome does more than reshape the Sabah state assembly.
It reshapes how Sabahans see themselves within Malaysia.
1. A stronger Sabahan identity
With Warisan and GRS dominating the political map, Sabah’s direction is now firmly controlled by Sabah-based forces, reflecting a growing confidence in regional political identity.
2. Weakening legitimacy of Peninsular rule
When the federal ruling bloc cannot even secure a foothold in Sabah — barely one seat — it signals a deep disconnect in federal-state representation.
3. MA63 autonomy demands will intensify
Greater control over resources, revenue rights, oil royalties, and immigration policy will become louder through Sabah-first political platforms.
4. Sarawak will find inspiration
Sabah’s shift toward fully local political dominance mirrors Sarawak’s own trajectory. The two states may increasingly align as East Malaysian partners demanding renegotiation of federal power structures.
5. Separation talk may resurface — this time more credibly
The more Sabah rejects Peninsular political power, the more plausible calls for:
- full autonomy,
- a confederation model, or
even peaceful separation
become in political discourse.
This election did not create the sentiment — it legitimised it.
Conclusion: A Political Earthquake With National Consequences
The 2025 Sabah election marks a turning point in Malaysian politics.
- PH is the biggest loser, rejected emphatically by Sabah voters.
- Warisan is the biggest winner, regaining its place as Sabah’s central political force.
- Peninsular parties have been decisively sidelined, their influence reduced to almost nothing.
- And beneath it all lies a rising current — the possibility that Sabah, and perhaps East Malaysia more broadly, is reconsidering its relationship with the West.
Sabahans did not just choose their representatives.
They chose their identity.
And in doing so, they may have opened the next chapter in the long, unresolved story of Sabah’s place in Malaysia.
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