PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE-14 (PRU-14) DAN TUMBANGNYA BARISAN NASIONAL (BN) DI PARLIMEN SILAM

THE 14TH GENERAL ELECTION (GE-14) AND THE DEFEAT OF BARISAN NASIONAL IN SILAM

Abstract

Sabah sering dianggap sebagai fixed deposit Barisan Nasional (BN) dan UMNO sejak 1994. Kemenangan yang sering dicapai dalam oleh UMNO/BN Sabah dan Sarawak dalam PRU sejak 1994, 1998, 2004, 2008 dan 2013 merupakan testimoni kepada realiti ini. Namun dalam PRU-14, BN gagal mempertahankan kedudukannya di Sabah apabila secara teknikal telah kehilangan kuasanya kepada Parti Warisan yang kemudian telah berkuasa di Sabah. Di Parlimen Silam yang merupakan fixed deposit BN, mereka telah kalah 4-0 kepada Parti Warisan. Makalah ini membincangkan antara isu yang membawa kepada kekalahan ini antara lain; kepimpinan, tidak peka kepada masalah penduduk setinggan, nepotisme, isu tanah, ESSCOM, kenaikan kos sara hidup dan 1MDB. Kaedah kualitatif telah digunakan dengan temu bual, pemerhatian dan kepustakaan. Temu bual telah dibuat dengan calon bertanding, ahli politik (UMNO) dan Parti Warisan serta masyarakat di Parlimen Silam. Makalah ini mendapati bahawa keengganan BN belajar dari segi sejarah bahawa rakyat Sabah dan pengundi Silam yang rasional memilih menukar kerajaan jika mereka tidak puas hati dengan kerajaan sebagaimana yang pernah berlaku pada 1976 (USNO), 1985 (Berjaya) dan 1994 (PBS). Kegagalan belajar dari sejarah mengakibatkan BN tumbang di Parlimen Silam dalam PRU-14 , kubu kuatnya selama ini.

Abstract
Since BN/UMNOs entry into East Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak were often referred to as BN/UMNOs fixed deposit states following their victory during the 1994, 1998, 2004, 2008 and 2013 general elections. However, GE-14 saw the change in BN's hold on Sabah when Parti Warisan came to power. In the Parliament Seat of Silam, BN lost 4-0 to Parti Warisan. This article looks into the factors that contributed to this defeat amongst which was the lack of attention on the squatter problems, nepotism, land issues, ESSCOM, rising costs of living and 1MDB. Qualitative methods such as interviews, observation, and secondary data i.e. newspapers, journal articles, books and internet were used. Interviews with contending candidates, political members from both BN and Parti Warisan, as well as the general community in Silam was carried out. The findings observed was the failure of BN to heed lessons from past elections whereby voters in Sabah would rationally vote to change governments if they were not satisfied with the government of the day, as was the case in 1976 (USNO), 1985 (Berjaya) and 1994 (PBS). It was this lack of attention to history which saw BN's lost over its stronghold in Silam during GE-14.