Kota kinabalu: Voters in the 17th Sabah state election are advised to use their wisdom to assess every promise offered by political parties in their manifestos before making a decision, as there is no guarantee that these promises can be fulfilled by them.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr Azizan H Morshidi, a researcher at the Borneo Electoral Studies and Geopolitics Unit (GeoPES) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), emphasized that political parties in the country are not legally obliged to implement their election promises. The fulfillment of these promises depends on the honesty of the parties.

Azizan explained that in Malaysia, a manifesto is considered a political document rather than an official or legally binding document. He questioned whether voters would continue to trust parties that fail to implement their promises after being elected. He highlighted the importance of honesty and political will as the real binding factors, urging voters to carefully evaluate the feasibility of a party's manifesto.

Despite being a political document, Azizan asserted that a manifesto is an important tool for voters to assess a political party's capability to fulfill its promises. He noted that manifestos allow voters to study the positions, agenda setting, and accountability of political parties within a democratic system.

Azizan advised voters to focus on the authenticity of promises when evaluating manifestos, rather than being swayed by sentiment. He urged voters to consider whether promises are logical, realistic, and implementable, taking into account the state's financial position.

Common reasons cited by political parties for failing to fulfill their promises often include insufficient financial resources. Azizan encouraged voters to determine the realism of manifestos by considering the financial capacity of the state.

Highlighting the current election manifestos, Azizan pointed out a notable lack of focus on digitalization, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), despite its importance in today's era. He suggested that manifestos could incorporate AI in various dimensions, including economic development, public services, infrastructure, talent development, and ethics.

However, Azizan identified issues such as inadequate internet coverage and speed as challenges that need to be addressed before advancing AI implementation in Sabah.

The campaign period for the 17th Sabah state election, which began on November 15, will conclude at 11.59 pm on November 28, with polling set for November 29.