KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 24 -- The fractious nature of politics which saw Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) component members challenge its allies in almost a quarter of the 73 seats up for grabs in the state election has led analysts to take a closer look to see if this bodes ill for the rest of the nation when the 15th general election finally arrives.

Although it is possible that Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS may end up fighting one another over seat allocations in the future, it is more likely that the outcome of Sabah's state election will have minimal impact on national politics as a whole.

UiTM Prof Mazlan Ali said each GRS member has its own direction and goal, let alone national parties or coalitions like PN, BN a...