SARAWAK’S opposition parties could be in for another drubbing if the general election is held early, political observers said.

Politicians are predicting polls could be called as early as June “if Umno wins big” in next month’s Johor elections.

University of Tasmania’s Asian political expert James Chin said the results of the Sarawak elections could be repeated in the GE as he does not see the sentiment of the state’s electorate changing anytime soon.

“Six months is definitely not enough time for them (the opposition) to recover,” he said.

Of the major parties that contested in last December’s Sarawak polls, DAP was the biggest loser, winning only two of the 26 seats it contested.

The party, which held seven seats in the 82-seat legislative assembly before its dissolution, suffered from the voters’ backlash for its inept showing when they were in power in the short-lived PH federal government.

Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), in its first foray on its own after getting the boot from the ruling Gabungan Party Sarawak (GPS) for being “unfriendly”, fared a little better winning four of the 70 seats it contested to take over the mantle from DAP as the largest opposition party.

DAP’s partners in the Pakatan Harapan (PH), PKR and Amanah, were whitewashed losing in all the seats they contested.

So were the plethora of Sarawak nationalist parties, like the independence seeking Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK), Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB).

Chin said six months is just too short a time for any of the opposition parties to cobbold any kind of political partnership.

PSB president Wong Soon Koh, in his New Year message, had said he hoped to work with local-based opposition parties to deny GPS another stroll to a landslide win in the GE like it did in the state polls.

PSB and DAP had a protracted and difficult talk for a “political understanding” for the state polls. The talks, however, ended with nothing to show.

The enmity and mistrust between Wong and DAP state chairman Chong Chieng Jen had proved to be a stumbling block too tough to surmount.

Universiti Putra’s Jayum Jawan said though there have been cases where politicians make strange bedfellows to further their prospects, he doubted Wong and Chong would ever go that far.

“Remote possibility. I think their DNA is not quite the same,” he said.

With the political status quo expected to remain, Chin said he expects DAP to suffer more at the hands of the voters and lose more seats in the GE.

DAP currently holds six of the state’s 31 parliamentary seats.

Chin said the Sarawak opposition will now have to contend with a more powerful GPS with a super majority.

The GPS government “will announce a lot of big, big projects and the money that will flow will get the business people excited”, he added.

“It has been hard on the business people for the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has hit them very hard.

“Once the money tap is turned on, everyone will be very happy.”

Chin said “all the stars are coming together” for GPS.

PSB Wong is not the only opposition leader to talk of working with other parties after the state polls drubbing.

The president of the pro-independence PBK, Voon Lee Shan had also disclosed he is “working closely with a few political parties in Sabah for a United Borneo Front to fight for Sarawak and Sabah independence”.

He reached out to “local friendly political parties who share our views and struggles” and invited them to be a partner in the United Borneo Front.

“I think it’s very difficult for Voon to find a coalition partner among the major mainstream parties,” Chin said.

He said Voon is not seen as a conventional politician and is unable to find common ground with other nationalist parties like Aspirasi.

Voon’s tiff with Aspirasi president Lina Soo is also well publicised.

“These MA63 nationalists, they all want to be the number one hero and to put each other down.

“They always think they are not given enough recognition for what they do. This is also happening among Sabah nationalists.”

Chin said the nationalists’ egos are getting in the way of them coming together.

“It’s highly difficult for them to get involved with each other.”

Chin also said the consensus is building that PBK is there to split the votes. – February 6, 2022.