GABUNGAN Parti Sarawak (GPS) has won 72 seats in the state elections as at 10.55pm, clinching a super majority, announced the Election Commission (EC) tonight.

There are 82 seats in the state assembly.

EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh had in a statement earlier declared GPS the winner of the state elections.

GPS is made up of four parties, namely Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Parti Rakyat Sarawak, Progressive Democratic Party and Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP).

Chief Minister Abang Johari Abang Openg has been given his own mandate with this victory. He had taken over the state reins following the death of predecessor Adenan Satem, who died in office in January 2017.

Abang Johari had earlier won big in the rural seat of Gedong, boasting a 3,607 majority.

On the opposition front, DAP won two seats and Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) won four.

The results of four other seats have not been announced at press time.

DAP won in Pending and Padungan.

Violet Yong retained her seat in Pending with a slim majority of 540 votes.

She bagged 5,188 votes, defeating GPS’ Milton Foo (4,648 votes), PSB’s Tan Kay Hok (1,858), Parti Bumi Kenyalang’s (PBK) Teo Kuang Kim (978) and Aspirasi’s Chan Chee Hiong (204).

Chong Chieng Jen won the seat in Padungan with a majority of 1,198 votes.

He bagged 4,686 votes, defeating GPS’ Wee Hong Seng (3,488 votes), PBK’s Raymond Thong (930) and Aspirasi’s Lina Soo (193).

But DAP lost in Bukit Assek, where its incumbent Irene Chang was defeated by GPS’ Joseph Chieng with a majority of 874 votes, and Pujut – a seat it had held for the last two terms – where Alan Ling was defeated by GPS’ Adam Yii with a majority of 1,566 votes.

Blue-eyed boy Kelvin Yii failed to unseat incumbent Dr Sim Kui Hian in Batu Kawah. Yii claimed only 2,434 votes, while the SUPP president claimed 7,827.

Sarawak’s two deputy chief ministers Douglas Uggah Embas and Awang Tengah Ali Hassan both retained their Bukit Saban and Bukit Sari, respectively.

All GPS newbies celebrated victories, with Nicholas Kudi Jantai in Baleh, Azizul Annuar Adenan (Tanjung Datu), Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor (Lingga), Royston Valentine (Tellian).

Abang Johari in his victory speech said this win is a sign that the people want political stability.

This “is a win for the people”, he said at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching tonight, adding that the people have given his coalition the mandate to run the state on its Sarawak-first policy.

PBK’s Voon Lee Shan – the only opposition party president to accept defeat – said although the party lost, it “does not mean any good victory for GPS”.

The voter turnout was very low, with some constituencies seeing less than 30%, he added.

“GPS’ victory is nothing to be proud of.

“GPS has too advantage of and exploited the Covid-19 pandemic situation by keeping people illiterate, giving money and food aids, and showing pictures of ministers and elected representatives on all food aids.

“They can use helicopters to campaign and use the Pan-Borneo Highway as an airport to fly and land their helicopters. We cannot due to the Covid-19 standard operating procedures which restricted the campaign.”

Voon said as long as people love money and are kept poor, hungry and deprived of development, “GPS will be able to rule Sarawak as long as it likes”.

“Although PBK lost all seats contested, it is proud to have assembled 73 candidates for the state elections.” – December 18, 2021.