EVEN in defeat, PAS is boasting about its sole candidate’s performance in the just-ended state elections in Sarawak.

PAS’ Mohammad Arifiriazul Paijo was the closest challenger to Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) Razaili Gapor in the contest for Beting Maro, a Malay-majority seat.

Arifiriazul, better known as Arif, claimed 2,058 of the 7,302 votes cast, but that was not enough to unseat two-term incumbent Razaili, who won 3,769 votes for a 1,711-vote majority.

But PAS remains upbeat as Arif bagged more ballots than Sarawak PKR acting chairman Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh, who people believe will pose a threat to Razaili.

Abang Zulkifli managed a meagre 765 votes in the five-cornered fight, losing his deposit in the process. Parti Bumi Kenyalang’s Jacky Chiew and Independent Safiudin Matsah also lost their deposits.

PAS leaders said this outcome proves that PKR is now “irrelevant” in the political scene in Sarawak, adding that the latter must accept that it is no longer accepted in the state.

They said PKR has lost its strength, pointing to Beting Maro as proof that even its strongest candidate lost his deposit.

“This is a clear signal that the party is no longer accepted in Malay-majority constituencies.

“This is the main reason DAP no longer uses the Pakatan Harapan symbol because component parties have lost their strength.”

PAS performed poorer in these state polls compared with in 2016, when its candidate Hamidah Mokhtar bagged 3,051 votes, but it said the party is still relevant in Beting Maro, unlike PKR.

The Islamist party stood in 11 seats, including Beting Maro, in the polls in 2016.

PKR reacted to its loss in the state elections by claiming that the polls were unfair and only partially free.

It said the polls lacked legitimacy, adding that had the 150,000 Undi18 voters been allowed to participate, the results would have been much different.

“The GPS government is intent on voter suppression by pushing through sham polls before the end of the year to suppress youth votes as it (state elections) is timed to take place before Undi18 comes into force on January 1.”

The Election Commission’s (EC) failure to extend postal voting to eligible voters living and working in the peninsula has disenfranchised over 250,000 voters, it added.

PKR blamed the government for not implementing a price cap on flight tickets, which are said to have been exorbitantly priced around the polling date.

It also blamed the pandemic and polling date for the low voter turnout, which ultimately led to the opposition’s loss.

The EC said the polls saw a 60.67% voter turnout, which meant only 759,627 out of the 1.2 million voters had cast their votes.

PKR said had the state elections been held on a Sunday, it would have given time for eligible voters in the peninsula to make the long journey home to fulfil their civic duties.

GPS’ 76-seat victory is a significant improvement than its 72-seat win in 2016 under the Barisan Nasional banner.

Parti Sarawak Bersatu has emerged as the new opposition force in the state, following its four-seat win in Ba’kelalan, Bawang Assan, Batu Lintang and Engkilili.

DAP, which had previously dominated the opposition bloc in the state, suffered a major blow when it won only two seats – Pending and Padungan. – December 19, 2021.