COMMENT | The Sabah state election that will be held this Saturday, Sept 26, promises to be the most important state election in the nation’s history. Its outcome will decide not just the fate of Shafie Apdal’s Warisan Plus government. It could also determine the future course of political development in the entire country.

A reading of the past history of Sabah’s elections and the current lineup of multiple contestants and parties - a total of 446 candidates from 16 parties are standing - may give the impression that Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, newly incubated but retaining its Barisan Nasional bloodline, formidable federal government electoral support and enormous financial resources should be able to easily overcome the less established and endowed Warisan grouping that is now in some disarray, following the replacement of the Pakatan Harapan coalition at the national level by the Perikatan Nasional government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

However, this may prove a premature assessment...