Voting in Sabah

In May 2013 my wife and I returned to Sabah to vote in the 13th General Election. We spent altogether SGD1,000.00 for our return airfare and other expenses incurred just perhaps 3 days back in Kota Kinabalu before flying back to Singapore to complete the marking of papers and College’s graduation. At that time we had been awarded Singapore Permanent Residence less than a year before (June 2012) and I had no idea that I would be returning to Sabah for good in just over a year after the May 2013 Election. Looking back the call of Sabah was just too great to ignore.

Would I make a greater impact if I chose to remain in Singapore or serving back in Sabah among the indigenous peoples? Till today the jury is still out, though one reason I left Singapore was that I was just too comfortable getting invited to speak on Sundays (at the end I preached in 40 different churches in Singapore and many of these churches issued repeated invitations including Seminars and church camps). 

But in Sabah after 11 plus years I have preached in at least 50 new churches in the interior and also many more in those churches I preached in before serving in Singapore. Now I had preached in at least 120 SIB churches throughout Sabah and perhaps around 10 non-SIB churches.

Basing myself in Ranau for 4 years and living in the midst of a rural community, among Sabah’s majority tribe, the Kadazan-Dusuns also opened my eyes more into rural and tribal ministry in the villages. 

The just concluded State election exemplified rural politics more than anything. The rural folks are communal and they tend to pick those they like and can connect with them, often times, individuals and known personalities are more important than political parties. 

Five independent candidates won seats in fiercely contested areas when incumbents or well established parties have their machinery and money, but individual candidates still won as independents. 

And also race and ethnicity still play a huge role in picking representatives. “Orang kita” (means from our kind and tribe) plays against Warisan who swept most urban seats but they could not wrest power from the ruling coalition due to the lack of trust against this party seen as outsiders or favouring foreigners. It may be just a myth or totally unfair but interior folks think differently and they still prefer “orang kita” to lead them.