[5] Barisan Nasional, who has governed the state since 1994 after 20 Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) crossed over to support BN barely 1 month after PBS has won the 1994 election, contested in all 48 seats, split between its component parties.

[1] Almost all leaders of BN Sabah component parties are defending their seats except AKAR president Pandikar Amin Mulia, who were expected to be made as Senator in the Dewan Negara and be named as a Minister in the federal government.

PBS, who had won the 1994 election but forced to become opposition less than a month later, also fields candidate in all 48 seats.

For the Muslim bumiputera quota, Osu Sukam of UMNO becomes CM after BN won in the 1999 elections.

[12] He held the role until 2001, when Chong Kah Kiat of LDP becomes CM, filling the Chinese/Non-Muslim bumiputera quota in a slightly changed rotation system.

[13] In 2003, Kah Kiat hands over the CM role to Musa Aman from UMNO, who scrapped the rotation system after BN dominates in the 2004 state election, with 59 wins out of 60 seats contested.

[14] On 8 August 1999, at the party's fifth congress, PDS was renamed as United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) taking the same UPKO acronym of the defunct original United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Organisation, which was formed and dissolved in the 1960s.

PBS performance in the election were credible, and won seats in all Non-Muslim Bumiputera majority areas, showing that they could still commands trust among those communities.

Harris lost in Likas against BN-SAPP leader and incumbent MLA Yong Teck Lee.

Department of Political and Social Change, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University.