Sabah state election, 1985
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The 1985 Sabah state election was held from April 20 to April 21, 1985 in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. This was the fifth state election to take place. Parti Bersatu Sabah won 25 out 48 seats contested, thus forming government with its president Joseph Pairin Kitingan being sworn in as Chief Minister. This election is a milestone in Sabah political history as it marked the first time that a party not part of the nation's ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) formed government.[1] PBS took control of the state from the previous ruling government under Parti Berjaya—a partner of BN, which has been in power since 1976.
[edit] Summary
| Party | Seats Contested |
Seat won |
|---|---|---|
| Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) | 45 | 25 |
| United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) | 43 | 16 |
| BERJAYA/Barisan Nasional (BN) | 48 | 6 |
| Parti Bersatu Rakyat Bumiputra Sabah (BERSEPADU) | 27 | 0 |
| Parti Bertindak Rakyat Sabah Bersatu (BERSIH) | 7 | 0 |
| Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Pasok Nunukragang Bersatu (PASOK) | 9 | 1 |
| Democratic Action Party (DAP) | 3 | 0 |
| Total (where applicable) | N/A | 48 |
[edit] The aftermath
Pairin, himself a former member of Party Berjaya, formed PBS barely 47 days before the elections.[1] Opponents of PBS, namely, Harris Salleh of Berjaya, and Tun Mustapha of USNO were dissatisfied with the result. Tun Mustapha then sought to get sworn in as Chief Minister illegally,[2] and this resulted in a court battle which ended in favour of Pairin.[3][4]
The result of this election more notably resulted in riots which took place around Sabah between March and May 1986. The riots resulted in bombings in Kota Kinabalu, and arson in other towns. The rioters were trying to bring down Pairin from being the head of the state government.
In 1986 itself, another election was announced by PBS, where they again won.[4]
- See also: 1986 Sabah riots
[edit] References
- ^ a b K. Ramanathan Kalimuthu. The Sabah State Elections of April 1985. Asian Survey, Vol. 26, No. 7. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
- ^ "OPINION: Reforms yes, but not through violence in the streets", New Straits Times, November 18, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
- ^ Crossette, Barbara (October 1, 1987). Kota Kinabalu Journal; With Houses on Stilts and Hopes in Another Land. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ a b Historical Background. Parti Bersatu Sabah. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
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