1985 Sabah Election and After: Sabah Politics from 1984 to 2004
How did Pairin break with Berjaya in 1984?
Berjaya had governed Sabah since 1976, with Harris Salleh as Chief Minister. Joseph Pairin Kitingan, a lawyer and Berjaya assemblyman for Tambunan, clashed with Harris and left the party in August 1984. Harris used an undated resignation letter to declare the Tambunan seat vacant.
Pairin stood again as an independent. In the Tambunan by-election on 29 December 1984 he won 3,685 votes, 85.3% of the total, a majority of 3,048 over Berjaya's candidate. Harris's government then revoked Tambunan's district status. In 1984 Pairin was also conferred the title Huguan Siou, paramount leader of the Kadazandusun.
On 5 March 1985 Pairin founded Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
Who won the 1985 election?
The state election was held on 20 and 21 April 1985, about seven weeks after PBS was founded.
| Party | Seats (of 48) |
|---|---|
| PBS | 25 |
| USNO | 16 |
| Berjaya | 6 |
| Pasok | 1 |
PBS had a majority. Under the state constitution it is the Head of State (Yang di-Pertua Negeri) who appoints the Chief Minister.
How did Sabah have two Chief Ministers in one day?
Berjaya and USNO, with 22 seats between them, struck a pact after the results. In the early hours of 22 April 1985, USNO leader Tun Mustapha Harun was sworn in as Chief Minister before the Head of State, Tun Mohamed Adnan Robert.
Within 15 hours, Mustapha's appointment was revoked and Pairin was sworn in. Formally the Head of State acted; Irasec's account credits the reversal to federal intervention by Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam.
Mustapha sued both the Head of State and Pairin. In April 1986 the High Court ruled in Tun Mustapha Harun v Tun Mohd Adnan Robert & Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan [1986] 2 MLJ 420 that Mustapha's swearing-in was null and void, finding among other things that the Head of State had been under pressure and threatened into appointing him.
What happened between 1986 and 1993?
- June 1986: PBS joined the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
- October 1990: PBS left BN.
- 22 February 1991: UMNO was formally established in Sabah. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad appointed his deputy, Ghafar Baba, to head the Sabah UMNO liaison committee. Tun Mustapha resigned from USNO and contested under UMNO. Berjaya, which had won no seats in 1990, dissolved in 1991 and its members joined UMNO.
- 2 August 1993: the Registrar of Societies deregistered USNO. Six USNO assemblymen joined UMNO and the rest joined PBS.
What happened in 1994?
The state election was held on 18 and 19 February 1994. PBS won 25 of 48 seats; BN won 23 (UMNO 18, SAPP 3, LDP 1, AKAR 1). Pairin was sworn in as Chief Minister on 21 February 1994.
Within weeks, PBS assemblymen began leaving for other parties. Lajim Ukin and Rubin Balang went to UMNO; Joseph Kurup formed the new PBRS; Bernard Dompok formed the new PDS with a group of assemblymen. By 17 March 1994 PBS was down to five seats. Pairin resigned, and Sakaran Dandai of UMNO became Chief Minister (17 March in the official list of Chief Ministers; Irasec gives 18 March).
The episode is often cited as the origin of the term "katak" (frog) for politicians who switch parties after an election.
What was the rotating Chief Minister system?
From 1994 the Chief Minister's post rotated every two years among the BN parties representing Muslim Bumiputera, Chinese and non-Muslim Bumiputera communities.
| Chief Minister | Party | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Sakaran Dandai | UMNO | 17 Mar 1994 – 27 Dec 1994 (then appointed Head of State) |
| Salleh Said Keruak | UMNO | 27 Dec 1994 – 28 May 1996 |
| Yong Teck Lee | SAPP | 28 May 1996 – 28 May 1998 |
| Bernard Dompok | PDS | 28 May 1998 – 14 Mar 1999 (cut short by the 1999 election) |
| Osu Sukam | UMNO | 14 Mar 1999 – 27 Mar 2001 |
| Chong Kah Kiat | LDP | 27 Mar 2001 – 27 Mar 2003 |
| Musa Aman | UMNO | From 27 Mar 2003; stayed on after the 2004 election, when the rotation was dropped |
Source: Chief Minister of Sabah (Wikipedia), checked 25 September 2026.
Was Sabah the first opposition state?
No. PAS won Kelantan in the 1959 election, and Gerakan, then an opposition party, won Penang in 1969. PBS also joined BN in June 1986, just over a year after its 1985 win.
Frequently asked questions
Q Why were two Chief Ministers sworn in on the same day?
Q How did the courts settle it?
Q Why did PBS lose power in 1994 after winning the election?
Q What was the rotating Chief Minister system?
Q Was Sabah the first state to elect an opposition government?
Sources & References 11 sources
Last verified: 28 September 2026
Histories and records
- Irasec: Political Development in Sabah, 1985–2010 Pairin and Berjaya, Tambunan, 1985 swearing-in, UMNO's entry, 1994.
- electiondata.my: by-elections Tambunan by-election, 29 December 1984.
- Wikipedia: 1985 Sabah state election Seat results.
- Wikipedia: 1994 Sabah state election Seat results and defections.
- Wikipedia: United Sabah National Organisation UMNO's entry into Sabah in 1991; USNO deregistered in 1993.
- Wikipedia: Chief Minister of Sabah Dates of the rotating Chief Ministers, 1994–2004.
- Jesselton Times, 29 May 2026: The Huguan Siou, a tribute to Joseph Pairin Kitingan Huguan Siou title.
- Wikipedia: Lajim Ukin Left PBS for UMNO in 1994.
- Wikipedia: Rubin Balang PBS until 1994, then UMNO.
- Malaysian Bar: The transfer of power, what should happen? The 1985 swearing-in and [1986] 2 MLJ 420: swearing-in null and void; Head of State under pressure.
- Wikipedia: 1969 Malaysian general election Gerakan's 1969 win in Penang.