Sabah state election, 1994
Encyclopedia
The 1994 Sabah state election was held in February that year in the Malaysian state of Sabah
. The election was one of the most controversial election in Sabah's political history. The election was won by the opposition
party Parti Bersatu Sabah
(PBS), winning 25 state electorates against 23 won by the nation's ruling Barisan Nasional
coalition. However, due to defection
s by members of PBS, namely Bernard Dompok and Joseph Kurup
, by way of establishments of new parties aligned to BN shortly after the election, PBS was forced out of power resulting in BN forming government in Sabah. The outcome of this election and the defections resulted in the term katak being coined in, the literal meaning of which is "frog", due the actions of PBS members "jumping" to another political party.
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
. The election was one of the most controversial election in Sabah's political history. The election was won by the opposition
Opposition (Malaysia)
The Opposition in Malaysia is a term used to describe political parties represented in the Parliament of Malaysia that are not in government either on their own or as part of a governing coalition. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in parliamentary systems, i.e...
party Parti Bersatu Sabah
Parti Bersatu Sabah
The Parti Bersatu Sabah is a political party in Sabah, east Malaysia. It was registered as a political party on March 5, 1985...
(PBS), winning 25 state electorates against 23 won by the nation's ruling Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
coalition. However, due to defection
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
s by members of PBS, namely Bernard Dompok and Joseph Kurup
Joseph Kurup
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Kurup is a Malaysian politician. He is currently the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Pensiangan constituency in Sabah, representing the United Sabah People's Party...
, by way of establishments of new parties aligned to BN shortly after the election, PBS was forced out of power resulting in BN forming government in Sabah. The outcome of this election and the defections resulted in the term katak being coined in, the literal meaning of which is "frog", due the actions of PBS members "jumping" to another political party.