Reports by MAZWIN NIK ANIS, SHARON LING, ANDY CHUA, JOSEPH KAOS Jr and TARRENCE TAN
KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has officially retained power in the 12th state election.The ruling coalition secured 59 out of 82 seats, enough to form the state government, as of 9.30pm yesterday.
This also means that it rules with a two-thirds majority.
Opposition outfit Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), at that time, had retained two of its six seats – Ba’kelalan and Engkilili.
A record 349 candidates registered to contest across 82 seats in the election.
Besides GPS, there were nine Opposition parties and 30 Independents in the fray.
Caretaker Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg won comfortably in Gedong, securing a majority of 3,607 votes.
It was a good showing for Abang Johari, who had led the GPS team for the first time in a state election.
In 2016, then Sarawak Barisan Nasional helmed by the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem had swept 72 of the 82 seats.
It was also a good election outing for GPS component party Sarawak United People’s Party whose president Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian not only retained his Batu Kawah seat with a bigger majority, but also made gains from DAP.
Dr Sim said he was grateful for the Batu Kawah voters’ trust in him, adding: “Even though we were unable to take some seats back, the margin of defeat was very small.”
In what shaped up to be a bad night for DAP, the party lost Pujut and Pelawan – two seats it won in 2016 – to SUPP.
DAP’s two-term Pelawan incumbent David Wong lost by 100 votes to SUPP’s newbie Michael Tiang while in Pujut, SUPP’s Adam Yii defeated Sarawak DAP secretary Alan Ling.
State DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen won in Padungan and long-time party leader Violet Yong retained her Pending seat.
PKR failed in all 28 seats it contested. Its state chief Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh, who contested in Beting Maro, obtained just 756 votes and lost his deposit.
GPS election director Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said poor weather and concerns over Covid-19, especially the new Omicron variant, could have contributed to the low voter turnout.
“It was a wise decision to hold the election now. The weather would be worse in January and February,” he said.
