KUCHING: With the current political scenario and sentiments in Sarawak, and the mood of the people, political analysts and observers were quite confident that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) can win the next state election schedule in 2021.
Several factors including federal-Sarawak issues ̶ Sarawak rights̶ are in favour of GPS, while there are some problems cropping in GPS maybe to the advantage of Pakatan Harapan, they said.
Political analyst from University of Malaya, Associate Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said GPS strength is because it is the state government of the day and it controls the state agencies.
“The GPS government also have the financial resources which they can use to implement projects in the state, thus they are not too dependent on the federal government for the fund,” he said in an interview.
Besides that, he said GPS have local media and portals including TV Sarawak to publish development news implemented in the state apart from collaborating with private TV in Kuala Lumpur.
Awang Azman said GPS chances to retain its power in Sarawak look great because there are several weaknesses in PH which GPS could exploit to convince the voters to reject PH.
“The PH government is still new and is unstable. There are some conflicts among the top leaders and at the grassroots level with regard to interim prime minister.
“The ministers are still lack of experience and are too much dependent on their senior ministers like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,” he said.
Another weakness of the PH government which the people has realised and is being discussed by Sarawakians is the failure of PH government in fulfilling most if its election promises, which among them are the PTPTN loan, job opportunities, high cost of living although goods and service tax (GST) has been abolished.
He said the GPS government can take over the implementation of those projects which are cancelled by the federal government as it has the available fund.
“Issue on the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Sarawak autonomy, oil royalty and continental self ordinance which received strong support from the people of Sarawak will definitely give votes to GPS,” he added.
He said although GPS has announced that they are PH friendly but the present federal government is not that generous as Datuk Seri Najib Razak during the Barisan Nasional (BN) era which saw a lot of development projects brought to Sarawak.
On GPS weaknesses, he said there are several problems within GPS that must be resolved urgently before the state election.
He said the components of GPS like Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) is seen as weak parties.
“SUPP is receiving continuous attacks from DAP and Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and this can cause GPS to lose seats in the coming election.
“The Chinese young voters are more interested to support PSB while the older generations of Chinese are more aligned to DAP,” he said.
Secondly, he said the conflicts in PRS also caused the party to be not quite safe in the next election, thus it may enable PKR and PSB to win over PRS seats if PRS leadership failed to resolve their conflicts.
Awang Azman, who is a senior lecturer also pointed out that the state government do not have strategic think tank body like that of Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) in Selangor tasked to conduct political survey, make studies on people’s sentiment, advising and chart political strategies without the involvement of political figure.
Meanwhile another political observer Datuk Peter Minos is confident that GPS can and will win the coming state election for several reasons.
He said since the time the late Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem brought up the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) issue and asking Petronas to pay Sarawak 20 percent oil royalty, Sarawakians had awakened and got aware of their rights.
“When Kuala Lumpur did not entertain Sarawak’s requests, Sarawakians then knew and realised that Kuala Lumpur has not been nice and fair to Sarawak.
“The feeling of desiring to stand on their own feet, relying more on themselves and own Sarawak leaders and not looking up to Kuala Lumpur for pity or sympathy and not hoping for anything from Petronas for extra money for development, has become pronounced by the day.
“So Sarawakians naturally look to own Sarawak-based parties and own local leaders to lead them and to determine their fate and future, not looking up to Kuala Lumpur leaders and Kuala Lumpur based parties anymore,” he said.
On this vital issue and other factors, he believed strongly that GPS will win come next state election.
“Of course, what is now going on in Sarawak also helps. Continued open and vigorous struggle for Sarawak and its people by the current chief minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, the focus on rural development and working hard on basic infrastructure and utilities, strong and relentless promotion of GPS by the current chief minister on Sarawak rights and interests will make Sarawakians go for GPS,” said Minos.
Minos said GPS can also win seats now held by PH, adding that Sarawakians have now realised that PH is not good and not nice to Sarawak.
“Breaking pledges and promises; saying wrong things; engaging in in-fightings; ministers squabbling in public and flip-flopping policies and ideas has made PH lose the confidence of Malaysians including Sarawakians.
“Continued high cost of living hurt all Malaysians especially the lower income groups. Many now says that PH is no better than the old BN government,” he said.
GPS government, he said will do well by making life easier and better by focusing on creating jobs and incomes for the people, building more roads, giving water and electricity where needed, creating educational facilities, opening up rural land and doing more on agriculture tourism and manufacturing.
He said the current chief minister is working very hard on all these and people are getting impressed of him and this is good for GPS, adding that issues on NCR land, on dilapidated schools, water shortage in some areas and others are being sorted out.
“All this take money and time but if these can be solved before 2021, this will be great.
Commenting on chief minister statement that there are termites in GPS, Minos said whoever they are they will be handled by the chief minister and believe that Abang Johari will know who are the termites.
“If known, they will be exposed and be dealt with because termites if left unchecked can eat a house foundation causing it to eventually collapse.
“Hope the termites stop being naughty and destructive and they may be spared,” he said, adding that the chief minister has to look carefully into the pros and cons of any action against termites and only then decide.
“Not very easy but can be done for the unity and good of GPS,” he said.
Minos said he have the feeling that more and more Sarawakians do genuinely fear of the possibility that if Peninsula Malaysia based parties take over Sarawak the state be losing everything.
He said the possible losses are Sarawak’s immigration powers, control and command over land, minerals, forests, local business opportunities and jobs and many more.
“Sarawak had already lost its say on its lucrative own oil and gas resources to Petronas which is most regrettable,” said Minos, adding that Sarawakians will also lose their pride and dignity being controlled by peninsular people and their local proxies.
“Ask any Sarawakians, he or she does not want to be under the thumb of the peninsular people. It is Sarawak sentiment. You can call it a spirit of Sarawak of wanting to be free and ruled by themselves and by their own parties and leaders and not dominated and controlled by non-Sarawakians.
“All these are silent strengths of GPS. GPS gains from the Sarawak spirit, being 100 per cent Sarawak and led by Sarawak leaders and a highly motivated chief minister, who of late has been very vocal in standing for and fighting for Sarawak rights and interests.
