Gaya's by-election results should be a big lesson for the opposition especially the DAP and Keadilan. One would wonder if the two opposition parties really have the doctrine and the objective to be in the `political playing field' in this country. Many could have hoped that the two main opposition parties would come to a compromising stand to face the gigantic Barisan Nasional in Sabah.

The two must have known what it is like to be in opposition in Sabah. Parti Bersatu Sabah could have done better if it had remained in the opposition front. Or any other opposition party in Sabah could have fared better. This is the normal voting pattern in Sabah for years. DAP has had a few good years in Sabah but the other parties, namely Keadilan and PAS, or PRM, are still far from being accepted in Sabah.

Sabahans are still very conservative when it comes to politics. They have their own views of their wakil rakyat (member of Parliament). History has made it very clear in the past three by-elections. DAP and Keadilan surely must have studied the voting trend in Sabah especially after PBS' return to BN's fold.

In the Gaya by-election, DAP and Keadilan seemed to have ignored the fact that two Kuala Lumpur-based opposition parties do not appeal to the voters in Sabah. It would be a different scenario if the opposition parties were Sabah-based. Sabahans would not take the risk of having a Kuala Lumpur-based party dominating their political scenario, as attempted by Umno, the numero uno party in the peninsula.

Their trust are not to be taken for granted and the DAP and Keadilan should know this well enough before plunging into a three-cornered fight with the ruling BN. The DAP and Keadilan (maybe even PAS and PRM) may take some comfort in the low turnout of Chinese Malaysian voters. This was taken to be a sign that voters were not happy with the ruling coalition either.