PARTI Sarawak Bersatu president Wong Soon Koh just managed to hold on to the Bawang Assan seat he has held for six terms by a 913-vote majority.

Wong successfully defended the seat of 19,650 voters by a margin of 4,131 votes in the 2016 election. 

This time around, Wong polled 5,952 votes to see off his nearest rival Robert Lau Hui Yew of Gabungan Parti Sarawak, who polled 5,039 vote.
 
The other three candidates, DAP’s Amy Lau Bik Yieng, Parti Bumi Kenyalang’s Michelle Ling Shyan Mih and Independent Ricky Anak Enteri all lost their deposits.

Lau polled 1,173, Ling 954 and Enteri a mere 64.

Wong stood in the seat as a Barisan Nasional direct candidate in the 2016 election as his party, then known as the United People’s Party (UPP) was not a formal member of BN.

He polled 9,015 votes then in another crowded field of five candidates. His nearest rival Chiew Sung Ngie of DAP picked up 4,884 votes.

At 10.41pm, PSB has retained four of its five seats.

The three other seats are Engkilili (Jonicol Rayong), Batu Lintang (See Chee How) and Ba’Kelalan (Baru Bian).

See and Baru are former PKR reps who joined PSB after their sacking over the so-called Sheraton Move which denied PKR president Anwar Ibrahim a shot at the prime minister’s office.

PSB, which fielded candidates in 70 seats, also lost the Bidayuh-majority seat of Opar, which went to former health officer Billy Sujang of Gabungan Parti Sarawak.

Sujang, who was in the thick of the state’s Covid-19 pandemic fight for the last two years, pulled off an impressive win for a 1,689-vote majority.

He polled 3,659 votes to three-term incumbent Ranum Mina’s 1,970. Other contenders were Freedy Misid of Parti Bumi Kenyalang, Meneng Biris of PKR, Cikgu Saini Kakong of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru, and Bayang Teron of the unknown Parti Sedar Rakyat Sarawak.

None of the former BN politicians PSB pulled out of retirement to stand in the polls – former SPDP rep for Mas Gading, Dr Tiki Anak Lafe; former Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Batang Ai rep William Nyallau Badak; former PRS rep Masir Kujat (Sri Aman) and former PRS deputy president Joseph Entulu Belaun – won.

Universiti Putra Malaysia political analyst Jayum Jawan said despite PSB fielding 70 candidates, many of them political personalities, he had expected the party would only win two seats.

“I thought only (Wong) Soon Koh and Baru Bian had the best chances,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“PSB and Soon Koh went in strong with many candidates but (were) eventually humbled by their performance where they won (only) four seats.

Jawan said even though they had proved him wrong by winning four seats, the party’s overall performance was not impressive.

“They went in big and (were) reputed to have strong (financial) backing.” –  December 18, 2021.