A view of the DUN Sarawak Complex. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (April 24): The trend towards Sarawak-based opposition parties actively participating in state elections is now “unstoppable”, said political analyst Prof James Chin.
Chin said it would be better for Sarawak to have its own local-based opposition parties rather than relying on those from Peninsular Malaysia.
“What is really important now is that Sarawak keeps as much autonomy as possible, including political autonomy, and stops Peninsular Malaysian parties from having a presence in Sarawak,” he said.
“But this has already happened, as we have seen in the last election, where two major opposition parties besides the Democratic Action Party (DAP), namely Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) and Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), fielded many candidates.”
PBK and the now-defunct PSB are local parties.
James Chin
Chin said this is why many are now urging DAP in Sarawak to break away from its Peninsular Malaysia-based headquarters and form a local party instead.
He added that a scenario in which DAP could be wiped out in a state election is possible, taking into account developments in Sabah.
“Of course the same scenario can happen in Sarawak, where GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) could win all seats and DAP lose all the seats they contest. But this is quite unlikely because, in the last election when GPS was very strong, DAP still managed to win two seats. Therefore, it is quite unlikely it will be wiped out,” he said.
Chin was commenting on remarks by Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian at the GPS Convention held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) last Sunday.
Dr Sim, who is also Deputy Premier, had said Sarawak should emulate Sabah in giving DAP zero seats in the next state election.
Meanwhile, fellow political analyst Datuk Dr Prof Jayum Jawan called for leadership change to ensure governance remains people-focused.
He said this is important to prevent any one group from remaining in power indefinitely.
“Sarawak is well advised to emulate Sabah. Let me remind Sarawakians that Sabah has been ruled by 17 chief ministers since 1963, whereas Sarawak has only had six so far. It would be a good thing if the people of Sarawak emulate this political behaviour of Sabahans,” he said.
However, he cautioned against calls for the Chinese community to “sink” DAP Sarawak.
“Dr Sim has done well to consolidate the Chinese back into SUPP. However, I do not think that the Sarawak Chinese will accept this, i.e. to deny DAP Sarawak its effective role in check and balance.
“The interest of the Chinese community has been better served when there is a strong presence of Chinese representatives on the opposition bench, to ensure that those in government are kept on their toes and constantly reminded of their commitment to the advancement of the Chinese community in Sarawak,” he said.
Datuk Prof Dr Jayum Jawan
Jayum also pointed to challenges faced by the Dayak community, claiming that elected representatives often join the ruling coalition after elections.
“They end up being followers and ‘Yes YBs’, and thereby bow to the ruling party or leadership instead of representing the people who elected them,” he said.
Jayum said Sarawak would be better served by having strong local-based opposition parties or a coalition.
“The next state general election is a good opportunity for the people to re-evaluate how they want the government to be run. They must have the courage to choose wisely those with proper education and fresh initiatives to make Sarawak better,” he said.
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