The Barisan Nasional (BN) is not saying that Sarawak does not need an Opposition which can act as a check-and-balance but it’s against one which “simply makes noise”.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Barisan Nasional (BN) Sarawak has taken the position that the state does not need an Opposition which “simply makes noise”. “We are not saying that Sarawak does not need an Opposition which can act as a check-and-balance,” said Nangka Assemblyman Annuar Rapaee. “What we are saying is that we don’t need an Opposition which simply makes noise.”
Annuar along with Assistant Minister of Youth Development Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Assistant Minister of Public Utilities Stephen Rundi were expressing the hope in the local media that the urban seats would return to the ruling coalition but acknowledged that the Chinese, in that case, would have to unite under one political party in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) Sarawak.
“There’s a better chance of BN taking back the urban seats if the Chinese were united under one political party,” said Stephen who is also BN Sarawak Secretary-General.
He noted that Chinese “had begun swinging back to BN given Chief Minister Adenan Satem’s popularity” but thinks the trend wasn’t pronounced enough. “The Chinese must unite under one political party in the BN for the coalition to win back the urban seats.”
Abdul Karim, who is also Asajaya Assemblyman and a PPB Supreme Council member, expects his party to retain its urban seats such as Satok, Nangka and Jepak but concedes the ostensibly multiracial but Chinese-led and dominated Sarawak United People’s Party (Supp) will have a tough fight in other urban seats against the DAP. “We hope that Adenan, given his popularity, because of his emphasis on openness and transparency, can play a big role in wooing back urban voters.”
“The Chief Minister is a leader for all communities. It’s not often that we get a leader like this.”
In 2011, the last state election, BN won 55 of the 71 seats contested. The number of seats has since increased by 11 to 82.
The Dayak-led Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), another BN member, was a breakaway from Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) which was deregistered. PBDS recently made a comeback as PBDS Baru although many of its members formed the Dayak National Congress (DNC).
PBDS is a 1983 breakaway from the multiracial Sarawak National Party (Snap) which has since been deregistered. Snap provided Sarawak with its first Chief Minister Stephen Kalong Ningkan.
SPDP broke away from Snap some years after PBDS.
PBB is a merger of Parti Bumiputera, a Malay political party, and Pesaka, a Dayak party led by the late Temenggong Jugah, the Paramount Chief of the Ibans. Parti Bumiputera itself is a merger of two small Malay parties, Parti Negara Sarawak (Panas) and Barisan Rakyat Jati Sarawak (Barjasa).
The Dayak seats have been divided among all political parties in BN Sarawak, the Malay seats given only to PBB and Chinese seats only to Supp.
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