The Election Day is almost here!! On Wednesday, in two days’ time, it will be time to exercise your constitutional right and go to the polling station to cast your vote for the 14th General Election (GE14). Remember every vote counts. So go to your polling station early before it closes. 31 parliamentary seats are up for grabs in Sarawak. In past elections, parliamentary as well as state, some candidates have won with very narrow vote majorities.
For instance, in Sarawak in the 13th General Election in 2013, the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Baram parliamentary seat from Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), Anyi Ngau beat his sole component from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Roland Engan by securing 194 more votes than him! In GE13, about 80 per cent of the 13.3 million registered voters eligible to vote, cast their ballots, making it a record in terms of turnout for a General Election. According to the Election Commission, 12,992,661 voters turned up to vote in the polls.
Since Nomination Day, the battle lines have been drawn. In Sarawak, both the opposition and the State BN have been campaigning furiously. The State BN is targeting victory in 28 of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak. Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Johari Tun Openg is confident that the state coalition can wrest three seats from the opposition, namely, Sibu, Miri and Stampin. He announced 16 incumbents and 15 new faces for the BN candidates line-up in Sarawak for the GE14.
Among the new faces are the BN candidate for the Mukah parliamentary seat from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Dato Hanifah Hajar Taib, the younger daughter of the Head of State, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Kho Teck Wan from the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) for the Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat, Local Government and Housing Minister, Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian from SUPP for the Stampin parliamentary seat and SUPP’s Datuk Andrew Wong Kee Yew, son of Second Finance Minister, Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh for the Sibu parliamentary seat.
More youths and women are also being fielded in Sarawak in the GE14. If elected to the Parliament, the new faces, especially the youths and women, are expected to bring new blood and new ideas from Sarawak to the Parliament.
The Chief Minister has given the election campaigns in various areas a big boost by visiting the constituencies and meeting the candidates and voters there personally. Among the constituencies or towns he visited were Baram, Betong, Bintangor, Sibu and Sibuti. In Sibu, the Chief Minister even announced the appointment of Sibu Rural District Council Deputy Chairman, Robert Lau Hui Yew as a Senator representing SUPP.
Johari explained that Lau’s appointment reflected the ruling coalition’s vision for greater voice representing the Sibu people. “I hope the two BN candidates contesting at parliamentary seats in the Sibu division will win the contest.
“We want to have more representatives from Sarawak including from Sibu in Parliament. That is why we have appointed Robert Lau as a Senator,” he said in his speech there. He also called on the BN election machinery to work on ensuring the ruling coalition’s candidates could wrest the Sibu and Lanang parliamentary seats from the Democratic Action Party (DAP). Lau’s appointment as a Senator is expected to win the favour of many voters in the Sibu and Lanang parliamentary constituencies.
Will there be any surprise victories or defeats? As in every election, there are bound to be some surprises. There are four-way battles, three-way battles and straight fights for the 31 parliamentary seats up for grabs in Sarawak.
On Election Night, many Malaysians will stay glued to the TV set and radio, anxiously waiting for the results of the various battles fought. In Semananjung Malaysia, the states are going to the polls to elect not only their Members of Parliament but also their State Assemblymen or Assemblywomen. Sarawakians are going to the polls to elect only their Members of Parliament.
Definitely, there will be lots of lessons for everyone to learn from the outcomes of the GE14. In this GE14, we will probably see the big role social media plays in an election.In 21st Century, Facebook and Twitter have been found to be more powerful at galvanising voters than activists going door to door.
What big surprises will the social media bring to the GE14? We will all find out in two days’ time when Sarawakians go to the polls. On Wednesday, exercise your constitutional right and go to the polling station to cast your vote for the GE14.
