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By Mihar Dias December 2025
By now, the post-mortem of the Sabah election has been sliced, diced, sautéed and served on every political menu in the country. But nothing was quite as brutally honest as the viral commentary claiming that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had achieved the remarkable feat of becoming “the most arrogant PM Malaysia has ever had.” https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
Strong words, yes. But after Sabah’s ballot-box thunderstorm, many are whispering a far more uncomfortable truth:
Sabah didn’t just punish DAP.
Sabah punished arrogance — and PMX’s fingerprints were all over the state. https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
Let’s rewind to the now-infamous moment two days before polling. A hall full of Sabah Chinese community leaders sat waiting for reassurance, policy clarity — perhaps even humility, that rare mineral in Malaysian politics. https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
What they got instead was:
“You cannot scold me, call me ‘lu siau eh’, and then come ask for things again.”
It was meant as a joke, perhaps. Or as the PM’s supporters insist, “just banter.”
But the voters of Sabah — practical people, not easily charmed by federal theatrics — seemed to interpret it as something else entirely:
A leader forgetting that voters are not employees.
A government forgetting that public funds do not come from personal bank accounts. https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
And 48 hours later, the ballots answered with the politest Sabah-style “thank you, we’ll see ourselves out.”
The DAP Annihilation: A Political Extinction-Level Event
There is losing, and then there is what happened to DAP in Sabah.
Eight out of eight seats evaporated. Not lost — smoked. It was less a defeat and more a full-blown exorcism.
Majorities the size of small kampungs flipped into chasms:
• Likas: +7,517 → –2,425
• Luyang: +14,521 → –6,699
• Kapayan: +13,163 → –9,256
• Elopura: +7,683 → –3,375
• Sri Tanjong: +8,880 → –3,113
These aren’t swings. These are tsunami waves dragging furniture.
And if anyone in PH is still scratching their heads, let me spell it out:
Voters don’t like feeling taken for granted.
Minorities don’t like being lectured.
And Sabahans don’t like being told to sit quietly and clap.
DAP: The Loyal Partner Who Smiled Too Long
For years, DAP played the loyal coalition spouse:
• Defending U-turns with Olympic-level gymnastics
• Explaining away policies that hurt their own base
• Smiling through religious pandering
• Clapping along as certain “friends of the PM” made headlines that would make even MACC blush. https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
They thought endless loyalty would be reciprocated.
Sabahans decided otherwise.
When PMX told the Chinese community to basically stop being “crazy” and demanding fair treatment, DAP stood beside him, nodding vigorously — like a karaoke backing dancer who forgot their microphone was off. https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
So voters did the one thing left to do:
They switched off the stage lights.
Future Scenario: GE16 — The Real Judgment Day
If one remark could flatten an entire party in Sabah, imagine what three years of:
• Rising costs
• Rising frustration
• Rising silence on corruption
• Rising patronage politics
• Rising religious posturing
• Rising lectures from Putrajaya
…will do in GE16. https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
The Sabah results are not a localised protest.
They are a warning shot across the peninsula.
A quiet but devastating message:
“Respect is not a one-way traffic light.”
PH can blame Warisan. https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
They can blame “anti-federal narratives.” https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqfF11ak5/
They can blame the weather, the tides, the stars.
But deep down, every strategist worth their salary knows:
Sabah voters didn’t turn against PH by accident.
They turned because they finally felt they could.
What Now for PMX?
If Sabah is the rehearsal, GE16 will be the premiere.
And right now, the main actor is forgetting his lines and alienating half the audience.
Anwar Ibrahim once rode into Putrajaya on a tide of hope, reformist energy and promises of humility.
Today, the sentiment is shifting.
Not out of hatred.
But out of exhaustion.
The voters who once believed in him are asking:
• “Is he listening?”
• “Does he care?”
• “Does he even remember what he promised?”
• “And why does he keep scolding the very people who put him there?”
Malaysia doesn’t need a perfect PM.
But it desperately needs one who remembers that power is rented, not inherited, and voters can revoke the tenancy any time they choose.
Final Thought:
Sabah wasn’t the night DAP died.
It was the night Malaysia discovered something worse:
A leader who believes criticism is an insult
and voters should be grateful for breadcrumbs.
If that doesn’t change — and soon — then GE16 will not be an election.
It will be an eviction.
And this time, the voters already know exactly where to aim.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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