DINAMIKA ELEKTORAL YANG MEMPENGARUHI MASYARAKAT DUSUN KIMARAGANG DI DUN TANDEK DALAM PILIHAN RAYA DUN SABAH PADA ERA UNITED SABAH NATIONAL ORGANISATION (USNO) DAN PARTI BERSATU RAKYAT JELATA SABAH (BERJAYA): 1967 â€“ 1982
Authors: DAMILAN MANUAL , MENG LAI YEW , SILVA MAUREEN DE 
Published: December 2020

Artikel ini membincangkan dinamika elektoral yang mempengaruhi gelombang sentimen dan pilihan politik masyarakat Dusun Kimaragang semasa Pilihan Raya DUN Sabah 1967 hingga 1982, iaitu semasa era pentadbiran United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) dan Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah (BERJAYA). Ramai penulis dan pengkaji mendakwa bahawa senario politik Malaysia khususnya di Sabah sejak dahulu adalah berasaskan dinamika primordial, iaitu sentimen kuat yang tidak dapat dielakkan dan berkait dengan persamaan ciri sosial manusia seperti agama, etnik, puak, bahasa, kekeluargaan dan sebagainya (Loh, 2009; xii). Senario ini telah menyebabkan kebanyakan parti politik cenderung meletakkan calon yang memiliki banyak persamaan dari segi etnik dan agama dengan pengundi di satu-satu kawasan. Walaupun begitu, kemenangan calon bukan Kimaragang (Pilihan Raya 1967 dan 1981) dan kemenangan calon beragama Islam pada tahun 1971 dan 1982 di kawasan Tandek membuktikan bahawa dinamika primordial bukanlah satu-satunya dinamika yang mempengaruhi sentimen dan keputusan politik masyarakat Dusun Kimaragang. Sebaliknya, terdapat juga dinamika-dinamika lain yang turut terlibat. Justeru, berpandukan kepada pendekatan kualitatif, kajian akan melihat sejauhmana dinamika primordial mempengaruhi sentimen politik masyarakat Dusun Kimaragang di kawasan DUN Tandek dari tahun1967 hingga 1982.
Kata kunci: Dinamika elektoral, Pilihan Raya DUN Sabah, DUN Tandek, sejarah politik Sabah, masyarakat Dusun Kimaragang, Kota Marudu.
This article discusses the electoral dynamics affecting the popular groundswell and political choice of the Kimaragang Dusun community in Sabah State Assembly elections from 1967 to 1982, notably during the era of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah (BERJAYA) administration. Many writers and researchers claim that Malaysiaâ€™s political scenario especially in Sabah has been primarily driven by primordial dynamics which refers to strong sentiments related to human social characteristics such as religion, ethnicity, language, family, and so on (Loh, 2009, p. xii) . This scenario has created a tendency among many political parties to place candidates who share common ethnic and religious attributes with the majority of voters in one area. However, the victory of non-Kimaragang candidates (1967 and 1981 State Election) as well as Muslim candidates in 1971 and 1982 in the predominantly Dusun Kimaragang area of Tandek proved that primordial sentiments were not the only electoral dynamic affecting the popular groundswell and political decisions of the Kimaragang Dusun community as there were also other dynamics involved. Hence, based on a qualitative approach, the study seeks to analyse the extent to which primordial dynamics influenced the political sentiments of the Kimaragang Dusun community in the Tandek state constituency from 1967 to 1982.
Keywords: Electoral dynamics, Sabah State Assembly election, Tandek State Constituency, Sabah political history, Dusun Kimaragang community,Kota Marudu.