‘Strong opposition’ narrative not enough to woo Sarawakians, DAP told

Analyst Awang Azman Pawi says Sarawakians evaluate parties based on their ability to deliver development and protect state’s rights.

Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya said Sarawakian voters are traditionally pragmatic and evaluate parties based on their ability to deliver development, their longevity in government, their capacity to maintain political stability, and their ability to protect the state’s rights.

“Without concrete policy suggestions and a deep grassroots approach, ‘check-and-balance’ risks being seen as mere urban elite rhetoric,” he told FMT.

“Sarawak politics is still heavily influenced by local factors, candidate personalities, local parties, community sentiment, grassroots networks, and the ability to deliver development outcomes — with GPS holding a clear advantage.”

Awang Azman said Sarawak DAP can only expect to gain a foothold in certain urban or semi-urban areas with multiracial voters, higher education levels, and concern for governance issues.

He said the main obstacle for Sarawak DAP is not just GPS’s strong performance as the ruling coalition, but the increasingly entrenched “Sarawak-first” sentiment.

In this context, any party perceived as too “Malaya-centric” or overly reliant on national narratives will face difficulties, he said.

“While this sentiment is not outrightly anti-Malaya, it requires high sensitivity to Sarawak’s autonomy, MA63, and a political approach truly focused on local interests,” he said.

“This is a major challenge for Sarawak DAP, which still struggles to convince some rural voters and both Muslim and non-Muslim Bumiputera that it is a long-established Sarawak party, not merely a branch of a national party.”

Meanwhile, James Chin of Tasmania University said leadership renewal is a key challenge in Sarawak DAP’s bid to win more seats.

He said veteran figures, such as Pending assemblyman Violet Yong and state opposition leader Chong Chieng Jen, have been around for a “long time”.

Yong first won the Pending state seat in May 2006 and successfully defended it in the 2011, 2016, and 2021 state elections.

Chong was elected as the Kota Sentosa assemblyman in 2006 and served until December 2021, before moving on to represent the Padungan state constituency.

“The biggest problem facing Sarawak DAP is probably the lack of new talent,” Chong told FMT.

“Unless they can bring in young candidates, they may be at a disadvantage.”

Last week, Yong said DAP must add to its two state seats in the next Sarawak election to serve as a stronger check and balance against the state government.

The Sarawak DAP organising secretary said DAP’s current representation was not enough to effectively serve as an opposition to the GPS government, which holds 80 of the 82 seats in the state assembly.