KOTA KINABALU — While they make up only about an estimated 15 per cent of the 980,000-strong electorate in Sabah, Chinese voters could play a pivotal role in the coming elections — a fact underlined by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s presence at a dinner organised yesterday by the Federation of Chinese Associations of Sabah, on the first day of his visit to Malaysia’s third most populous state.

Despite a marked decline in the number of Chinese in Sabah over the last few decades, the Chinese community — the majority of whom live in the urban centres of Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau — remains the largest non-indigenous group in Sabah, making up about 9 per cent of the three-million population.

Politicians here said they are going all out to win over the Chinese voters, who have been dubbed as the “kingmakers” in Sabah politics.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat candidate Roland Chia, who is contesting in the Chinese-majority state seat of Inamam, said: “Long before the 2008 ‘political tsunami’ took place in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah has already experienced three changes of government ... and the Chinese votes were at the heart of it all.” Sabah is currently held by the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Former Chief Minister Yong Teck Lee of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) pointed out that including himself, Sabah has had three Chinese chief ministers. “That’s proof that the Chinese have played a major role in the politics of Sabah,” he said.

But he added that Sabah’s social fabric is “not quite the same” as compared to that of Peninsular Malaysia. “There is not much racial polarisation here and to take your political fight along racial lines here won’t take you far,” he said. Indeed, inter-ethnic marriages among the 32 officially recognised ethnic groups are rampant here.

To win their hearts and minds, Chinese Sabahans TODAY spoke to want concerns such as cost of living and security to be addressed. There is also unhappiness about the large droves of illegal immigrants who are purportedly given identity cards.

In February, about 200 members of a Filipino Muslim clan slipped into Sabah and took over a village. The Malaysian authorities successfully drove the invaders out after firefights which, killed 62 clansmen and nine Malaysian police and army personnel.

Taxi driver Lee Fah Fook, 62, said: “For us, the working-class Chinese, we are concerned about how we go about our daily lives ... Kota Kinabalu’s high cost of living is a major headache for us .... the average monthly salary for an office or a general worker is about RM800 (S$325) to RM1,000. A meal including a drink can cost up to RM8.”

Citing concerns about his “safety and security”, another Chinese voter, 27, who gave his name only as Paul, said: “We are living in the midst of people who have come here illegally but are now legal citizens in the eyes of the law. How can it be?”

Mr Kong Yu Kiong, Sabah’s Gerakan Publicity Chairman, noted the concerns of Chinese Sabahans about bread and butter issues, such as the high cost of living and availability of business opportunities. “Also, the Chinese here are concerned about safety,” he said. But he noted that the younger Chinese voters are looking for more.

For the older generation, “as long they get to go about their daily lives and conduct their business without interference from the authorities, they are contented”, Mr Kong said. The younger voters, however, are “more aware of their rights and their needs”.

“They want fair play and they accept the quota system but they don’t want to see the system being abused,” he said.