'Sabah BN will return as backbone of state govt'
KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident it will rise again to become the backbone of the state government in the next state elections.
Sabah Umno information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir said this was based on the current level of support for the party.
"From what I have observed recently, although many claim that local parties are better, as is the case in Sarawak, we must understand that there are significant differences between Sabah and Sarawak.
"But can BN become the backbone again after 2018? God-willing, in the next state elections, there is a strong possibility that we can return as the core of the state government.
"This is because BN's fall in Sabah was not due to losing the elections, but rather due to party-hopping," he said during a meeting with selected media on Tuesday.
Suhaimi was responding to questions about Sabah BN's ability to regain its strength despite grassroots sentiment favouring local parties ahead of the state elections, which are expected to be held soon.
The Libaran member of parliament said party-hopping in 2018 and political fatigue among the younger Sabah electorate were among the issues the coalition was facing.
He said recurring infrastructure issues, particularly roads, water supply and electricity, were among the things BN would bring up with the electorate.
"Road problems, water issues and electricity outages continued even during Ramadan.
"The infrastructure has not been properly repaired or restored and this is not even touching on governance issues.
"There are complaints about what people are calling 'bait' from the state government, such as the recently announced insurance assistance during the state assembly session.
"The public is not happy with these kinds of offers.
"This is what is happening now, especially among the younger generation.
"Voters aged 20 to 30 are starting to think about which government to support and they are saying that there is no better option. Only BN is the right choice."
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