All eyes on urban, Chinese seats in Sarawak polls

Urban, Chinese-majority constituencies will be among the seats to watch in the upcoming Sarawak polls, as the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) looks to retain all 79 seats it held prior to the legislature’s dissolution.

However, an ongoing tiff between two GPS component parties coupled with the absence of the now-defunct Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), could boost DAP’s chances of improving on its modest haul of two seats in 2021.

Political analysts Jayum Jawan of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and James Chin of the University of Tasmania said Chinese-majority seats are often keenly contested, offering opposition parties an opportunity to gain representation in the state assembly.

Jayum said the battle for some of these constituencies could become more intense due to an ongoing dispute between two GPS components: the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

“SUPP, PDP and DAP would be eyeing similar seats, particularly Bawang Assan, which used to be with SUPP until its assemblyman Wong Soon Koh left the party.

“Wong then formed his own party, Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), which was later dissolved and absorbed by Tiong King Sing’s PDP, where Wong is now a senior vice-president.

“So SUPP would definitely want Bawang Assan to be theirs to contest, while PDP is not expected to willingly hand SUPP the seat. Meanwhile, as it is a Chinese-majority seat, DAP is expected to contest there as well,” he told FMT.

Other seats that may be disputed by PDP and SUPP include the Dayak-majority constituency of Engkilili, which has been held since 2006 by Johnical Rayong Ngipa, a former PSB leader now with PDP.

Chin expects the fiercest contests to take place in urban, Chinese-majority constituencies, as Chinese voters typically prefer having an opposition presence in the state assembly.

“The Chinese usually do not want to give 100% support to one side only. They worry that since the Dayaks and Malays are unlikely to vote against GPS, there won’t be any check and balance in the state assembly if they don’t elect opposition assemblymen.”

In the 2021 Sarawak election, GPS won 76 seats, while PSB and DAP secured four and two seats, respectively.

In 2023, PSB’s Batu Lintang assemblyman, See Chee How declared himself an independent and pledged support for the state government.

Following PSB’s absorption into PDP in 2024, GPS came to hold 79 of the 82 seats in the Sarawak legislative assembly, with See’s support effectively raising the coalition’s strength to 80 seats.

PSB absence to benefit DAP?

Having played a key role in splitting the opposition vote in several constituencies during the 2021 state election, PSB’s absence in the coming polls could work to DAP’s advantage.

This was particularly evident in the five seats the Pakatan Harapan component lost to SUPP that year: Kota Sentosa, Bukit Assek, Pelawan, Tanjong Batu and Pujut.

All five seats saw multi-cornered contests involving PSB and another opposition party, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK), fragmenting the opposition vote and contributing to several narrow SUPP victories.

SUPP scraped through in Tanjong Batu, defeating DAP by just 23 votes, while PBK and PSB polled 2,204 and 1,071 votes, respectively.

The pattern was similar in Pelawan and Bukit Assek, where SUPP defeated DAP by just 100 and 874 votes, respectively, while PBK and PSB candidates collectively garnered thousands of votes.

SUPP won more comfortably in Pujut and Kota Sentosa, with majorities of 1,566 and 1,683 votes, respectively.

However, PBK and PSB again drew substantial support in both constituencies, polling thousands of votes each to significantly dilute support that might otherwise have gone to DAP.

SUPP in good position

SUPP could face a significant setback if it were to lose all five seats, particularly as it seeks to strengthen its standing within GPS amid a tussle with PDP for greater influence in the coalition.

However, Jayum said backroom talks for Chinese seats have been unusually subdued, suggesting internal challenges among SUPP’s rivals.

“The SUPP president, deputy premier Dr Sim Kui Hian, seems to be doing well to pull Chinese voters behind his party,” he said.

He added that DAP’s contradictory position as a federal ally of GPS while remaining in opposition at state level has confused some voters, potentially making them less inclined to support the West Malaysia-based party.

Jayum also warned DAP that the anti-peninsula party sentiment seen in the 2025 Sabah polls, particularly in urban areas, could spread to the Sarawak election.

“It is best for West Malaysian members of DAP to stay put in the peninsula, and let Sarawak DAP battle it alone,” he said.

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