Dayak seats shaping up to be ‘potentially exciting’ in Sarawak polls

The battle for Dayak seats is shaping up to be one to watch in the 13th Sarawak state election, with analysts pointing to political discontent among the Bornean state’s largest indigenous voting bloc.

Academy of Sciences Malaysia’s Jayum Jawan said Iban seats, in particular, could see some “potentially exciting” contests, with the ethnic group making up the majority of voters in 35 of 82 state seats in Sarawak.

He cited several key factors contributing to the buzz, including speculation that Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu’s (PBB) Dayak wing, Pesaka, could be headed for major changes.

“It is anticipated that after this state election, the next deputy premier will come from the Kapit region,” Jayum said, referring to speculation that current deputy premier and PBB deputy president Douglas Uggah Embas may step down.

“This would be a major shift away from the Betong enclave, which has nominated candidates to fill the post of deputy chief minister or deputy premier since the early 1970s,” said Jayum.

Bintulu, another key Iban stronghold and home to Stephen Rundi Utom, PBB’s most prominent Pesaka leader, may also be overlooked, he said.

Jayum said Dayak discontent with GPS was also on the rise, as key positions in both the state government and the coalition were dominated by PBB’s Bumiputera wing, which comprises Malay-Melanau members.

PBB, the lynchpin of ruling state coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), is split into two wings: the Bumiputera wing for Malay-Melanaus, and the Pesaka wing for Dayaks.

Although prominent Iban chief Temenggung Jugah Barieng was the party’s founding president, the PBB presidency has been held by the Bumiputera wing since 1978.

Chin also spoke of a shift in Dayak sentiment, saying some seats “may be contestable”, with younger Dayaks seeking to assert themselves politically.

“They feel that they’ve been marginalised since the 1970s, and that the Dayaks, being the numerical majority in Sarawak, must take their rightful place in the political system,” he said.

According to Chin, the seats to watch include those within the Baram federal constituency, and the Bidayuh-majority constituencies.

In the 2021 state election, GPS won 76 seats while Parti Sarawak Bersatu—which has since been absorbed into GPS—secured four. DAP won the remaining two.

Can PH benefit from Dayak discontent?

Jayum said Pakatan Harapan, particularly PKR and DAP, could benefit from the growing Dayak discontent, although the coalition would still face an uphill battle in attempting to wrest seats from GPS.

He said PKR’s move to appoint Malay leader Mahmud Epah as head of its Sarawak chapter was already a misstep, as Malay-Melanau voters were solid behind GPS.

“It would have been strategic to appoint a Dayak, who would be able to spearhead the drive to penetrate areas where there are many issues that would potentially provide windows of opportunities,” said Jayum.

He said Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru could capitalise on the prevailing political climate among Dayaks, but only if it positions itself strategically and adopts fresh approaches to win over the community’s voters.

“The notion that Dayaks only vote for Dayaks is oversimplified,” he added.

On the other hand, Chin said PH should be more realistic about the seats it contests in Sarawak, adding that it would be better to contest fewer winnable seats than field many candidates only to be defeated resoundingly.

He said big defeat could potentially damage the party’s credibility and would be a waste of resources.

“I know many in PH want the coalition to contest many seats because it is a federal government party.

“It is better for PH to field candidates in seats it has a real chance of winning, so that it can concentrate its resources. My advice to PH is to pick and choose the seats where it has a realistic chance,” said Chin.

In the 2021 Sarawak polls, PH contested 62 of the 82 seats that were up for grabs, with PKR fielding 28 candidates, followed by DAP (26) and Amanah (eight). However, it only secured two seats, both through DAP.

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