Eric Tay Warns Sabah Election Defeat Signals Trouble for DAP in Sarawak

suppadmin | November 30, 2025

MBKS Councilor Eric Tay today issued a statement commenting on the Democratic Action Party’s complete defeat in the Sabah state election, describing it as a clear reflection of shifting public sentiment and a warning sign for the party in Sarawak.

Tay said that in the 2020 Sabah election, DAP contested seven seats and won six, which was regarded as a significant achievement. However, in 2025, the party contested eight seats but lost all, showing that its political foundation in East Malaysia has been seriously weakened. He pointed out that even long time strongholds such as Likas and Luyang fell, ending more than a decade of DAP’s presence there and signalling a sharp decline in voter support.

He explained that the core reason behind voter frustration is DAP’s repeated failure to deliver on its key promise of returning 40 percent of net tax revenue to Sabah. According to him, this issue is one of the most sensitive state rights topics, yet the party often responded with phrases such as under study or needs time, which caused voters to view the pledge as empty talk. Tay said many Sabah residents felt that while DAP made idealistic promises during campaign periods, it did not implement them once in power, and expressing dissatisfaction through voting was an understandable response.

The Sabah results, he added, show that dissatisfaction with national parties is now translating into support for local opposition forces. He believes that DAP’s past reliance on sentiments such as keeping the flame alive or sympathy votes is no longer effective.

He also highlighted that the loss of Likas and Luyang shows that traditional bases are losing influence. Younger voters, he said, are no longer convinced by old style opposition narratives, while local opposition groups continue to grow.

With DAP currently holding only two seats in the Sarawak state assembly, Tay said the Sabah results serve as a clear reminder that national party narratives are losing appeal among East Malaysian voters, who are increasingly inclined to support local opposition parties to balance GPS and safeguard local interests.

Tay stressed that the Sabah election results were not accidental but the outcome of accumulated public sentiment shows that East Malaysians place strong importance on parties fulfilling promises and defending local interests.

He added that the development also signals a declining influence of West Malaysian parties in East Malaysia, and what happened in Sabah may foreshadow the challenges DAP in Sarawak could soon face.