CALLING for the Sarawak state elections at the end of this year at the onset of the monsoon season is not a miscalculation by ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) as it is already well-prepared for the polls, a political observer said.

Prof James Chin, who heads the Asia Institute Tasmania at the University of Tasmania, said GPS is set to go.

“It has been preparing for the elections for the past two years. Campaigning has all been done,” he said, when asked about whether holding the state elections before the January 2 deadline was the wrong call.

GPS comprises Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Parti Rakyat Sarawak, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party and Progressive Democratic Party.

Sarawak’s legislative assembly expired on June 6 but elections could not be held due to the nationwide state of emergency to fight the Covid-19 epidemic. Among the emergency ordinances that took effect was the suspension of Parliament and legislative assembly meetings as well as elections.

When the nationwide emergency was lifted on August 1, Sarawak went into a localised emergency that again delayed elections until after February 2 next year.

The localised emergency, however, was lifted on November 3, after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong consulted Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri Abdul Taib Mahmud, and on the advice of the prime minister.

With the end of the emergency on November 3, the Sarawak legislative assembly was also declared automatically dissolved on that date, which leaves 60 days (before January 2) for elections to be held.

As the ruling coalition and with the state’s resources at its disposal, GPS will have a big advantage over its opponents, which will find campaigning logistics and communications difficult during the monsoon season, or “landas”, as it is called in Sarawak.

GPS will have the use of helicopters to cover the interiors and highlands of Sarawak, which is the size of Peninsular Malaysia.

A candidate can reportedly campaign at six to seven longhouses in a day by helicopter, compared with just two longhouses if he or she were to travel by boat or an off-road vehicle.

If past practices are anything to go by, GPS would allocate a helicopter to candidates who are at most risk.

There will still be limitations, especially in bad weather, but candidates with the advantage of a helicopter can still cover far more areas during campaigning than those without.

Historically, Sarawak has avoided the monsoon season for most of its elections.

Apart from the fourth state elections of 1983 that was held at the end of December, most of the state’s elections since its first in 1969 were held during the dry months of April (1986, 2011), May (1969, 2006, 2016), August (1974) and the inter-monsoon month of September (1991, 1996, 2001).

Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah also believes that it is not a miscalculation to have the polls during the monsoon season.

He said the monsoon will only be at its worst at the start of next year.

As such, holding the elections now rather than later is better, to avoid further derailments, he said.

Uggah, who also chairs the state disaster management committee, said further delays could also raise the possibility of the emergence of new Covid-19 variants.

“These are the main reasons why the GPS government prefers to have the 12th state elections now,” he said recently in his constituency of Bukit Saban.

While rain could make campaigning tough, Sarawak PKR information chief Abun Sui welcomed it.

“At least we have a level playing field,” he said.

“They are handicapped without the helicopters and could also be handicapped when taking the treacherous rivers and muddy roads.”

Universiti Putra Malaysia political analyst Dr Jayum Jawan said the Election Commission (EC) has failed to improve conditions for polls campaigning during difficult situations such as the monsoon season.

“This is the weakness of the EC. The members lack ideas to modernise the voting system (to cater for elections in situations like the monsoon),” he said.

“New people are recruited into the EC and yet these people used their predecessors’ archaic arguments regarding logistics and the width of Sarawak.

“We need the EC to be revamped first before we can have a better voting system for the country.” – November 23, 2021.