IN the noisy arena of Sabah politics, the opposition has perfected one act: endless barking.
The ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) can announce new roads, clean water or investment wins but even before the microphones are switched off, the usual suspects are already foaming at the mouth.
Take the recent IBR ASEAN Awards. Sabah was named Malaysia’s Most Outstanding State Government. Not some consolation prize but a prestigious recognition of leadership, governance, and delivery.
A moment to be proud of. But opposition figures prefer to turn a blind eye to such a startling achievement.
Ignoring real achievements
That’s because delivery isn’t their strong suit. Drama is. Recently, the state government tabled its Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 1.0 report card in the state assembly.
It showed 94% of planned initiatives already completed – 366 out of 467. These include rural water supply upgrades, tourism development, dialysis access, agricultural incentives and conservation efforts.
But opposition leader Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal interrupted half-way through the reply, asking for it in writing. Was the list too long for Shafie’s attention span?
No ideas, just noise
This reflects the opposition’s entire playbook: don’t read, don’t build, don’t propose – just protest.
They oppose supplementary budgets. They cry about the cost of living but never suggest how they’d grow revenue.
They keep badgering the Sabah state government to demand more under MA63 (the Malaysia Agreement 1963) such as more oil royalties for the state yet offer no clear ideas on how to turn those demands into reality.
Ask them for a manifesto and one would probably be better off explaining Squid Game (South Korean dystopian survival thriller drama television series) to a household cockroach.
Ask them for a structured plan to improve livelihoods, and they’d rattle off something that looks like it was stitched together by an unpaid intern who thought policy had something to do with cops.
These are not leaders. They are full-time hecklers with part-time interest in policy.
Proof in numbers
GRS, in contrast, has kept revenue climbing, from RM3.6 bil in 2020 to RM6.84 bil in 2024. Sabah’s trade volume breached RM100 bil with investments continuing to flow.
These aren’t just numbers, they are outcomes. But the opposition doesn’t see outcomes. Only optics. When they cannot achieve something, they try to discredit it. It’s the only game they know.
They claim to represent “the people”. Yet all they represent is the politics of noise. Where is their blueprint? Their energy goes into slander, scandal and headline-chasing. This is not checks and balances. This is just grandstanding for political mileage.
If Sabah is to move forward, voters will need to decide: more chaos from career critics or continued work from those who actually show up. The opposition can bark. But voters must not mistake noise for results. – July 16, 2025
Main image credit: UMNO
