By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: Public sentiment, rather than government performance, is now playing a bigger role in shaping voters' decisions, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
Mustapha, who is also Sabah Pakatan Harapan chairman, said the coalition had begun analysing the outcomes of the Johor and Negri Sembilan state elections.
"Undeniably, the results have some impact. We are currently studying what happened and have received several analyses.
"One finding is that sentiment is now outweighing performance. That is something that concerns us because, if we look at the country's economic performance and the performance of the state governments, these achievements no longer seem to be a major consideration for voters.
"We therefore need to reflect on whether this is healthy for the country. However, I believe we still have time to address our weaknesses," he said when asked whether the two state election results would affect PH's preparations for upcoming elections.
The Sepanggar member of parliament was speaking to reporters after the Sepanggar Parliament Madani STPM Excellence Awards programme here today.
In the recent state elections, PH won eight of the 56 seats contested in Johor and failed to retain control of Negri Sembilan after securing only 11 of the state's 36 seats.
Mustapha said the coalition also needed to examine whether initiatives and incentives introduced by both the federal and state governments were reaching the people effectively.
"There may be more fundamental issues that need to be addressed.
"We accept the election results, but we will continue improving so that we are better prepared for the next general election, which is expected to be held next year," he said.
Earlier, Mustapha said the cabinet had decided to postpone the transfer of Form Six to the higher education ministry due to issues involving infrastructure, school facilities and staffing.
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