As one of the states within the Federation of Malaysia, Sabah has inherited the characteristics of a
developing country’s security management. The threats are not only driven by external but also from
internal sources. As such, this article analyzes threats to Sabah's security predicaments. By using the
National Security Theory of Developing Countries and Securitization Theory as the basis for
discussion, the article explores and discusses how Sabah's security management have been influenced
by several variables such as local political influences, federal-state relations, and societal’s state
loyalty. The article concludes that Sabah’s security threats have been securitised by local political and
community leaders. But, the success of securitising the threats depend on how security actors at the
federal level are convinced with the omnipresent threats.