Battle between the wallet and sentiment

Getting there: Voters crossing a bridge in the interior of Sabah to get to a polling centre in a previous election. Access to voting centres isn’t always easy in the state, which is why candidates consider arranging transportation as part of their election expenses. — Filepic/The Star

DUIT minyak (money for petrol) may triumph over sentiments such as the “Solo” or “Sabah for Sabahans” push in the state’s elections. A party or candidate can literally run out of petrol to fuel campaign walkabouts, meaning the message might not reach rural voters in state seats as large as the whole of Kelantan.

Consider the state’s largest seat, Kuamut: It spans 10,954sq km – which is only slightly smaller than Kelantan (15,027sq km) and Terengganu (13,001sq km). It’s also about a third of the size of Pahang (35,950sq km) and nearly double the size of Negri Sembilan (6,662sq km). That is why duit minyak to fuel your jentera (election machinery) is so important in Sabah.