By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 26: The Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak has sounded its battle cry ahead of the next State election, declaring that the polls will be a crucial fight to strengthen opposition voices in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) and prevent an unchecked one-party dominance.
Speaking at the DAP Sarawak Annual Convention 2025 in Bintulu today, DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen stressed that the upcoming State election is not about changing the government, but rather about safeguarding democracy and protecting the people’s rights.
To achieve this, Chong said that DAP aims to contest 15 seats in the coming polls, should the number of constituencies remain at 82, and 18 if seats are expanded to 99.
“The necessary checks and balances and the alternative voices of the people will not be heard and respected if we only have two (representatives) in the 82-member assembly,” he said.
Chong, who is also Padungan assemblyman, said that more opposition representatives are needed to safeguard public interest, accountability and the people’s rights.
He further asserted that DAP remains the only consistent and credible opposition force in Sarawak, pointing out that parties which often claim to be in the opposition eventually defect to the ruling coalition once they secure electoral victories.
“There are many who claim to be opposition parties, but they either never won any seats, or after winning, they joined the State government in no time. Their contest as opposition candidates is only a ticket for them to join GPS if they win.
“All these years, DAP Sarawak has remained the lone and consistent opposition voice in Sarawak, but we never back away,” he affirmed. — DayakDaily
