COMMENT | Sabah heads to the polls tomorrow in what has been the most competitive election in her history.

The main campaign sentiment has been one of “local parties” – tied into the narratives of Warisan and the Sabah First movement of Ewon Benedick. 

Underscoring this are deep-seated concerns that Sabah is being left behind in Malaysia and in comparison to neighbouring Sarawak.

Tomorrow, Sabah parties/coalitions will receive the overwhelming support of voters, as Sabahans are expected to turn away from peninsula-based parties/coalitions, especially Pakatan Harapan (in particular PKR) and Perikatan Nasional.

Yet on the ground, livelihood pressures for survival and uncertainty amidst political deal-making and a swarming of candidates have contributed to support for the familiar, notably the campaign resource-rich locally branded Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

The “being-the-government” advantage in a context of...