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SABAH SURVEYS | In Peninsular Malaysia, an election campaign is often serious business, but in Sabah, the run up to this state election has taken on a colorful turn. Even the increase in Covid-19 cases did not affect the mood.
During conferences In the sessions, politicians often sing and dance in their attempt to win the hearts and minds of voters.
Even DAP Undersecretary General Teresa Kok donned her dancing shoes alongside the party’s Kapayan candidate Jannie Lasimbang during an event.
At the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) events in Tambunan, politicians and supporters turn to the party song. “This is the winning moment“.
For Jamawi Jaafar, a Melalap candidate from Umno, a village turned an original Sabahan number into a campaign song for him to express their support.
Read more: Who’s Who is Sabah 2020 Pick
Also, a common feature during these events are karaoke sessions.
Events in Sabah are also filled with symbolic gestures for political parties on both sides of the division to show their muscles and show their support.
For example, when members change parties, it becomes a public spectacle in which defectors, by submitting their membership application forms, receive their new party shirts.
The defectors would then change into this shirt on stage.
Apart from the festive atmosphere during the conferences sessions, ad campaigns are also creative and border on mischief at times.
One of the popular sentiments is against deserters, known as “frogs.” Warisan Plus has gone to town on this issue, which led to early state elections.
Billboards in Keningau and Sandakan show a capsized frog stabbed with multiple darts.
One of the subtitles reads: “Strengthen Sabah, let’s make frogs ‘sandwiches’.” (Strengthen Sabah, let our frogs be the center).
The word you put, in particular, is meant to appeal to the Kadazan Dusun Murut community as it is a Dusun word that refers to snacking during drinking sessions.
Read more: Sabah Decides 2020: Making sense of players, parties and battles
On a more morbid note, another billboard legend reads: “Strengthen Sabah, let’s make the frogs die.” (Strengthen Sabah, make our frogs die)
The frogs, the four-legged variant, also paid the top price for their two-legged cousins’ shares when DAP hosted a frog-themed dinner at a restaurant in Kota Kinabalu.
During the event with the theme “Bitter Gourd Frog Rice Festival”, candidates and parliamentarians were seen roasting frogs on skewers.
Former Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman had attempted a coup in late July, saying he had gained enough support from state representatives who had defected from Warisan Plus to form a new government.
However, this attempt was thwarted by the current chief minister, Mohd Shafie Apdal, who received approval from the Sabah governor to dissolve the state assembly and call early elections.
Voting for the Sabah elections will take place tomorrow, September 26.
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