By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Oct 31: A survey conducted from June through September indicated that about 70 per cent of Sarawakians support Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), revealed political analyst Associate Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi.
“From our survey, the majority of Sarawakians, which made up of about 70 per cent of our respondents, indicated that they support GPS. But we do not know after the (national) Budget is announced.
“But I was informed that the national Budget will focus more on Sarawak and Sabah. And I was also made to understand that the State Budget will give a better impact than the national one. (So) both claims to have a better impact.
“But we actually do not know the impact of these (State and Federal) budgets on the voters because the majority of them won’t understand. It is only about 25-30 per cent of them will know the implications,” Awang Azman told the media on the sidelines of the 7th Malay Cultural Seminar held at a hotel here today.
Awang Azaman, who is a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaya, also revealed that among the ethnic groups in Sarawak, 80 per cent of the Malay/Melanau communities supports GPS, while for the Ibans, it is about 60-70 per cent.
“The sentiments among the Ibans and Malays are with GPS because they are not satisfied with the PH (Pakatan Harapan) federal government, for instance, with the composition of the Federal Cabinet. There is only one from Sarawak, and (he) is an Orang Ulu (in the person of Works Minister Baru Bian). And with the withdrawal of federal funding, those affected will be the Bumiputeras,” he pointed out.
However, what was surprising from the survey was that about 60-70 per cent of the Bidayuhs had swung towards PH.
“This is because most of them are living near major urban centres, and when PH captured Mas Gading (DAP) and Puncak Borneo (PKR), the momentum increased,” he said.
As for the Chinese, Awang Azman postulated that about 80 per cent of them were supporting PH.
In the 14th General Election, Barisan Nasional (BN) managed to win 19 out of 31 parliamentary seats in the state. Out of the 12 seats won by PH, six were won by the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the remaining six by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
From the 19 seats won by BN, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) won 13 and lost one, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) won three and lost three, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) won two and lost two and Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) won one and lost six.
With BN losing power at the national level, Sarawak BN subsequently left the coalition and formed GPS on June 12.
Meanwhile, on the 7th Malay Cultural Seminar, Awang Azman said it was crucial for all the communities in Sarawak to organise such an event for their respective communities as it would help them to gauge their progress.
“To survive, each community must collaborate with others in order to progress and advance. For instance, the Melanau community must collaborate with other communities, such as the Ibans, the Malays, the Bidayuhs and the Orang Ulu,” he opined.
He also stressed that it was crucial for the seminar organisers to present the resolutions to the government to address issues that were raised so as to address the needs of the various communities in Sarawak.— DayakDaily
