Expectations of change
THE first result of the 10th Sarawak state election was announced at 6.15pm on Saturday. By the end of the night, Barisan Nasional had won 55 seats to retain control of the state legislature with a comfortable three-quarters majority. Though the Democratic Action Party doubled its representation from six to 12 and Parti Keadilan Rakyat added two more to its single seat, these were not major surprises. The opposition inroads in Chinese and urban constituencies and among the middle class and young voters in the previous polls were signs that pointed to further electoral gains for the contesting parties this time around. The fact that issues such as the tenure in office of the incumbent chief minister and the effectiveness of Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) in representing Chinese interests, which contributed to the drop in support for BN in 2006, were still potent campaign fodder was another portent of a potential swing towards the opposition.
In this most hard fought of Sarawak elections, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had campaigned tirelessly, galvanising voters and boosting the chances of the BN candidates. But there is no question that the issues were state issues and the concerns were local, from native customary rights land to the personalities of candidates. Though the state BN has a clear margin of victory and a strong mandate to govern, with the opposition emerging as an even stronger player in the state and willing no doubt to use its greater share of state seats to build support for the next general election, there is a great need to take stock.
Having suffered the biggest losses, SUPP, in particular, will need to rejuvenate and regroup. Otherwise, the oldest party in the state could suffer the misfortune of the Chinese-based parties in the peninsula, or that of Sarawak National Party, which used to be a core party, in government and in opposition, but which now looks to be on the road to oblivion. As much as the other component parties in BN have won all or most of the seats they contested, they, too, have to take note of the changes in voting patterns and the expectations for changes in governance. There is a need to develop new approaches beyond the politics of development to appeal to the more demanding, sophisticated, younger and urban voters. Above all, the loyalty of supporters in the BN strongholds in the rural hinterland should not be taken for granted. The promises of development must be delivered.
Having suffered the biggest losses, SUPP, in particular, will need to rejuvenate and regroup. Otherwise, the oldest party in the state could suffer the misfortune of the Chinese-based parties in the peninsula, or that of Sarawak National Party, which used to be a core party, in government and in opposition, but which now looks to be on the road to oblivion. As much as the other component parties in BN have won all or most of the seats they contested, they, too, have to take note of the changes in voting patterns and the expectations for changes in governance. There is a need to develop new approaches beyond the politics of development to appeal to the more demanding, sophisticated, younger and urban voters. Above all, the loyalty of supporters in the BN strongholds in the rural hinterland should not be taken for granted. The promises of development must be delivered.
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