A COMBINATION of factors will see a bad run for parties contesting on the platforms of secession from Malaysia, state rights or autonomous rule in the coming Sarawak elections, political analysts said.

They said the fact that the leaders are unknown, a lack of political experience, tight finances and foggy promises will set them on their way to defeat again.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) political scientist Jayum Jawan said he does not expect Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK), or new coalitions like Gabungan Anak Sarawak (Gasak), to make any impact in the election.

PBK, registered in 2013 and led by former DAP assemblyman Voon Lee Shan, is the only known political party advocating independence that is legally registered.

Gasak, only formed last year, is a coalition of local political groups, and includes autonomy-seeking Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi), the obscure Sarawak Workers’ Party (SWP), leaders from the deregistered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) and rights groups like Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) and Sarawak Independence Alliance (SIA).

“Both PBK and Gasak are new, young and inexperienced players in the local political scene. PBK (has) only existed for about eight years (and) has a long way to go to attract real public support (from those) who could be counted as its hardcore supporters,” said Jawan.

Gasak on the other hand, he said, “might be able to unite based on the fact that all want the long shot to dislodge the ruling coalition GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak).”

PBK did not contest in the last state election in 2016 but another party advocating full autonomy, the Sarawak Reform Party (Star) did.

Star fielded 10 candidates, mostly in urban constituencies, and all lost their deposits.

Jawan said, on the whole, he could not see how they could unite with “parties that do not have many common goals of struggle” and that have many heads.

He also said the quality of leaders those leaders is equally important, and added that they are generally unknown, “less accomplished personalities” who do not have any success to show nor anything to offer to the people.

Jawan said the ruling GPS’s success in reclaiming some of its rights, like reimposing its control over the oil and gas resources in the state, imposing a 5% sales tax on all petroleum products and wringing 17 of 21 disputed rights from the federal government had cast doubts on opposition promises.

“The opposition can only offer to resolve these issues, while GPS are beginning to extract concessions… so, the (promises) will not have much of a pull as campaign issues,” he added.

Vague promises

University of Tasmania’s Asian expert James Chin said he does not see these secessionists nor parties advocating state rights making any inroads in the next five years because “they are minority groups”.

Chin also said what these groups had hoped to fight for as “champions of MA63” are also vague.

“All political groups in Sabah and Sarawak, including mainstream parties, are champions of MA63. It would be treasonous if they were not.

“But it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly (what they are fighting for in the) MA63 (Malaysia Agreement 1963). You can’t nail them down on details other than them saying ‘we will ensure our rights are given back to us’.”

Nonetheless, Chin said, at the moment, the general sentiment among the electorates is to “work with the current system to get the elusive autonomy by supporting the federal government-led process” like the approach taken by GPS.

“The friendly approach,” was how Chin described it.

Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Awang Pawi echoed Chin’s sentiment when he said the majority of Sarawakians still want to make the federation work.

That, he added, will make it difficult for parties like PBK in the election.

Compared to current hot issues like the Covid-19 pandemic, Awang Azman said the issues of separation or pro-independence would be put in the backburner.

“They are not relevant when compared to the issue of tackling Covid-19 and reviving the country’s devastated economy.”

He added younger voters are also more attracted to issues like having better governance, housing, employment opportunities and better education rather than issues that are considered “unconstitutional” and contrary to current sentiments.

Unconstitutional or otherwise, Chin has a warning.

Non-compliance to the MA63 and the anti-federation groups’ grievances are real and “will not go away for the foreseeable future”, he said.

Chin said they have a compelling narrative about the marginalisation of the state by the federal government and Sarawak being mistreated in the last 58 years.

“The secessionist movement will always be present as long as we don’t have the right set of federal-state relationships.

“There will always be a group of people who will say Malaysia is a failed nation and the federation is invalid because we are not getting what we want out of the federation.”

He said people who are interested in the future of Malaysia should pay more attention to the people of Sabah and Sarawak. – September 5, 2021.