Political spotlight focuses on Sabah<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
\nMohamad this week faces his first electoral test since firing his
\ndeputy Anwar Ibrahim when voters in Sabah state on Borneo Island
\ngo to the polls to elect a state assembly.<\/p>\n
As the first elections since Anwar was dismissed and arrested
\nin September, the Sabah polls will inevitably be interpreted
\nagainst the backdrop of political turbulence in Peninsular
\nMalaysia and scrutinized for signs of a shift in political winds.<\/p>\n
But local peculiarities in the remote state on the
\nnortheastern corner of Borneo mean the elections are no
\nreferendum on Mahathir's 18-year grip on power.<\/p>\n
The prime minister, his new deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and
\nmuch of the federal Cabinet were all in the eastern state last
\nweek. Their lavish attention underscores the importance
\nMahathir's Barisan Nasional (National Front) attaches to the
\nstate.<\/p>",
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