Sabah Umno's Membership-Vote Gap Signals Deepening Leadership Crisis

Bilcher Bala of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) said weak leadership and prolonged internal conflict within Sabah Umno were key factors behind the erosion of support. He pointed to the 2023 “Kinabalu Move” — when Umno withdrew support for the state government led by Hajiji Noor — as a turning point that exposed internal fractures and damaged the party’s credibility. Bilcher cited then Sabah Umno deputy chief Abdul Rahman Dahlan’s view that the move was a major strategic error that weakened the party’s image and undermined its grassroots machinery. “Conflict rose between the faction of the late Bung Mokhtar (Radin) and the more pragmatic ones, like Rahman’s, which emphasised the importance of working together with local parties for political survival,” he told FMT. At Umno’s annual general assembly on Friday, secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki revealed that nearly 80% of the party’s Sabah members did not vote for Umno in the state election. Asyraf said Umno went into the election confident of its prospects, citing a membership base of more than 622,637 in Sabah. However, the party secured only 144,584 votes — a mere 23% of its members. Perception problem, disloyal members Bilcher added that Umno’s appeal had been further eroded by its diminished standing after the 15th general election, when Barisan Nasional became reliant on other parties to stay in power at the federal level. “Also, there is a perception that Umno is a party imported from the peninsula, a perception which created an identity dilemma when looking into the context of Sabah, which has long pushed for autonomy rights,” he said. Meanwhile, UMS’s Lee Kuok Tiung said the gap reflected a lack of loyalty to the party, pointing out also that multiple party memberships are common in Sabah. “They might have joined Warisan or Bersatu, and then Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, but did not cancel their Umno membership. “For some of them, (they feel that) it is their right to get as many benefits as possible from existing parties,” he said. Leadership, narrative reset needed Both analysts said a leadership overhaul was necessary if Sabah Umno hopes to stem the exodus. Lee urged Sabah Umno’s leadership to be more attuned to Sabah-specific issues and avoid applying a “peninsula political template” to frame its challenges. Bilcher also called for a rebranding of Umno’s political narrative in the state to give more emphasis to local issues such as economic development, customary land rights and administrative autonomy. “State leadership also needs to be strengthened with leaders who have local credentials, instead of those seen as federal representatives,” he added.