PETALING JAYA: Chinese voters are expected to prevent Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) from making a clean sweep of all 82 state assembly seats in the coming state election, an analyst says.
James Chin of the University of Tasmania said urban Chinese voters were expected to help DAP retain at least two seats.
"Chinese voters don’t like the idea of giving GPS 100% of the seats. Based on my observations, they will definitely ensure that DAP wins at least two seats. So, a clean sweep is impossible," he told FMT.
Parti Bumi Kenyalang previously urged voters to prevent such a scenario, with its president, Voon Lee Shan, warning that absolute dominance could lead to a "dictator" government.
Chin said the opposition’s main weakness was in Malay- and Dayak-majority areas, while competition was more intense in Chinese-majority constituencies.
"The opposition needs to win in Dayak areas, particularly Bidayuh areas, if it wants to make significant progress," he said.
He attributed GPS’s strength to its "Sarawak First" narrative, its acceptance of English as an official language and its promise of free education regardless of race, including recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate.
GPS also enjoys a financial advantage, with about RM4 billion a year following its victory in a tax dispute against Petronas, as well as federal allocations for infrastructure projects, he said.
Dick Lembang Dugun of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak said the lack of a strong opposition bloc weakened checks and balances in the state assembly, which only has two opposition representatives at the moment.
He said although the government backbenchers’ club previously played a role in checks and balances, the absence of a strong and credible opposition affected the quality of state democracy.
"Ironically, GPS’s strength in addressing public grievances through ‘performance politics’ has left the opposition without an effective value proposition for voters," he said.
He warned that the long-term absence of effective checks and balances could undermine democracy, making transparency and accountability essential.
GPS currently holds 80 of Sarawak’s 82 state assembly seats. DAP holds the remaining two – Padungan and Pending.