By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Nov 20: The best ‘window’ for Sarawak to hold the 12th state election is after Chinese New Year and before Ramadhan month, says political analyst Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi.
That being the case, that ‘window’ falls between Chinese New Year on January 25 and the Ramadhan Month which begins on April 23.
“That ‘window’ after the Chinese New Year celebration and Ramadhan Month is the best time for Sarawak to hold its 12th state election,” the associate professor from the University of Malaya told DayakDaily today.
He was asked to comment on the latest political scenario, especially after the Tanjung Piai by-election where Barisan Nasional/Malaysian Chinese Association’s Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng won by a whopping 15,086-vote majority, garnering 25,466 votes against Pakatan Harapan/Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s Karmaine Sardini’s 10,380 votes, in a six-cornered fight. Four other candidates lost their deposits.
“The political situation in Malaya now is unstable especially after PH lost in the Tanjung Piai by-election. Now there are a few staunch supporters of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who are worried about their political future if he (Mahathir) decides to leave office,” he said.
Awang Azman opined that was the reason why there were many cliques and groups now trying to usurp power in PH’s component parties especially in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
“Thus, we can see so many meetings among the group under PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his arch-rival and party deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, who has refused to attend any PKR meetings including the party’s political bureau meeting today,” he said.
This crack in PKR has also affected Sarawak PKR when its chief Baru Bian has reiterated that he and his supporters will not attend the Sarawak PKR Convention in Miri this weekend, while the convention has been endorsed by PKR’s top leadership.
It is known fact that Baru is a staunch supporter of Azmin, while another faction is led by Julau MP Larry Sng, an Anwar loyalist.
“The crack in PKR Sarawak is inevitable because of internal squabbles. As such Sarawak’s state election is best held in March,” he said.
Currently, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) controls 68 out of 82 seats in the State Legislative Assembly, following Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) declaring independent.
Sarawak last held its state election in May 2016 and the next election is due by 2021.
Meanwhile, during GPS’s convention last Saturday, its top leadership told the 5,000 delegates present to get ready for the ‘mother’ of all elections. — DayakDaily
