LEGASI SAKARAN DANDAI DALAM POLITIK SEMPORNA: PERKEMBANGAN DAN KEJATUHAN PADA PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE-14
Authors: Abdul Rahim Md Saffie , Mat Yazid Mohd. Noor 
Published: March 2022

Sakaran Dandai merupakan pemimpin politik berpengaruh di Semporna. Beliau menjadi Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Semporna sejak 1967 sehingga tahun 1994 dan Ahli Parlimen Semporna sejak 1974 sehingga tahun 1990. Dalam tempoh masa berkenaan, beliau bukan sahaja mampu mengekalkan pengaruh dan kuasanya dalam politik Semporna, malahan berjaya menjawat pelbagai jawatan tertinggi politik di peringkat negeri dan persekutuan. Setelah dilantik sebagai Tuan Yang Dipertua (TYT) Negeri Sabah pada Januari 1995 dan bersara dari politik, anak beliau, Nasir Sakaran dipilih menjadi penerus legasi beliau. Nasir Sakaran menjadi ADUN Semporna pada tahun 1994. Walau bagaimanapun, pengaruh Nasir Sakaran tidak konsisten sehinggalah beliau kalah dalam PRU-14 pada tahun 2018. Kekalahan ini menyebabkan berakhirnya 50 tahun legasi kepimpinan Sakaran Dandai dalam politik Semporna. Justeru, objektif utama artikel ini ialah menganalisis perkembangan kepimpinan legasi Sakaran Dandai dalam politik Semporna serta sebab legasi kepimpinan tersebut gagal dipertahankan pada PRU-14 tahun 2018. Bagi mencapai objektif ini, kaedah penyelidikan perpustakaan dan temu bual dilakukan. Kaedah penyelidikan perpustakaan dilakukan dengan merujuk sumber sekunder dalam bentuk surat khabar yang diperoleh di Arkib Negeri Sabah serta sumber-sumber sekunder lain seperti jurnal dan buku yang diperoleh di perpustakaan universiti dan negeri. Temu bual digunakan bagi membolehkan usaha dokumentasi fakta yang tidak terdapat dalam bentuk penulisan diperoleh. Melalui analisis dan kaedah penyelidikan yang digunakan, kajian ini mendapati bahawa legasi Sakaran Dandai dapat dikekalkan selama 50 tahun disebabkan kepimpinannya yang masih dianggap signifikan bagi pandangan masyarakat Semporna. Walau bagaimanapun, legasi berkenaan tidak kekal relevan sehingga 2018 disebabkan ciri-ciri kepimpinan beliau yang tidak diwarisi oleh legasi kepimpinan selepasnya selain berlakunya perubahan ciri-ciri politik semasa menjelang PRU-14 di Sabah.
Abstract
Sakar Dandai is an influential political leader in Semporna. He became Semporna State Assemblyman from 1967 until 1994 and Member of Parliament from 1974 until 1990. During that period, he not only managed to maintain his influence and power in Semporna's politics but also succeeded in various political positions at state and federal levels. After appointed as Tuan Yang Terutama (TYT) in January 1995 and retired from politics, his son, Nasir Sakaran was 2 elected to be his successor. Nasir Sakaran became Semporna Assemblyman in 1994. However, Nasir Sakaran's influence was inconsistent until he lost to the GE-14 in 2018. The defeat led to the end of the 50 years legacy of Sakaran Dandai's leadership in Semporna's politics. Thus, this study aims to analyse the development of the Sakaran Dandai's legacy in Semporna's politics, as well as the reason for that leadership's legacy, failed to be maintained in the 14th general election in 2018. To achieve the objectives, the research methodology of this study is based on research library and interviews. The primary resources of library research are based on the newspapers found in the Sabah State Archives and secondary sources such as journal and books found in university and state library. Interviews are used to complement the library research especially when the facts are not available in written form. This study discovered that the Sakaran Dandai legacy can be maintained for 50 years because of its leadership that is still considered significant for the Semporna community's view. However, the legacy has remained unchanged until 2018 due to its leadership qualities which were not inherited by its later leadership legacy as well as the changing political character of the current GE-14 in Sabah.