Though hotly debated in the peninsula, the sex video allegedly involving PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, part of which has been leaked online, only got lukewarm response from Sarawakians who will elect their next state government on April 16.
Random interviews with voters by Malaysiakini revealed that despite some of them believing that Anwar is the 'actor' in the footage, the sex video is not their major concern.
"Here we only have three TV stations - TV1, TV2 and TV3. People believe what they have twisted," said voter Ibrahim Ahmad when met at Debak, Saribas.
The 40-year-old businessman estimated that the sex video issue, including BN's attacks on Anwar, would only affect 10 percent of the total 979,796 voters in the state.
Voters interviewed by Malaysiakini in two rural seats - Saribas (Malay-majority) and Krian (Iban-majority), are clear about the real issue of the people - the release of individual land titles for NCR land.
"The villagers' demands for land titles are not addressed, although the lands belong to our ancestors," Ibrahim added.
Nevertheless, Malaysiakini discovered that personal attacks on Anwar have also crept into the election campaign in the Sri Aman area.
Leaflets carrying a Malay translation of excerpts related to Anwar's alleged homosexuality from former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad 's memoir, Doctor in the House, have been distributed on the streets.
However, a private sector employee, Laga Biju, told Malaysiakini that people in the interior area are not too bothered with such national issues.
"People will not believe. They know this is politics. It is nothing, It is up to the court to decide on such matters.
"The court is like God," said the 40-year-old Iban, who just came back from Kuala Lumpur to be in his state constituency of Krian to vote.
Besides demanding a solution to the NCR land issue, Laga hoped issues affecting local communities, such as agricultural problems, would be solved ahead of the state polls.
"For instance, the planting of pepper... it is bought from farmers at RM15 a kilo now, but the price of fertiliser sometimes rises to RM100 a bag. The farmer can only get RM5 a day," he explained.
Another officer in the civil service shared the same view.
'Sarawakians want their rights back'
"This is all politics. Everyone knows what is the purpose," said the man who was only willing to be known as Jemali, saying he feared his identity being known to the government led by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.
According to Jemali, Sarawakians want to take the opportunity of the state election to get their rights back, such as land titles, which have long been overdue.
"If we only ask for it after the election, they (the winners) will surely ignore us," he told Malaysiakini when met at Saratok.
Senior citizen Abang Hamzah Abang Seman said he did not closely follow the sex video issue and when asked whether he believed the man in video was Anwar, he replied, "that's why he was sacked".
The farmer said he liked Anwar because he had learnt about Anwar's ability to govern through a PKR candidate who happened to be his relative.
According to several political observers Malaysiakini spoke to, national issues will not attract the attention of voters in every state election. For Sarawakians at least, especially the rural folk, the land issue is their biggest concern.
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