Going all local won’t guarantee votes for Sarawak DAP, say analysts

Political analysts James Chin (left) and Awang Azman Pawi (centre) take issue with the suggestion by Wong Soon Koh.

PETALING JAYA: Transforming Sarawak DAP into a wholly locally-based party does not guarantee winning over more Sarawakians, say analysts in shooting down a challenge by Wong Soon Koh of the Progressive Democratic Party.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania said Wong’s proposal was not new as many have suggested that Sarawak DAP localise or rebadge itself as a Sarawak-based party to boost its support among natives.

He said the idea behind this was to capitalise on the apparent high level of Sarawakian nationalism, though other parties have attempted and failed in that endeavour.

“A lot of people think that DAP would get a lot more support from the Chinese community and the local Dayak community (in doing so), but there’s no data backing this up.

He said Wong’s former party Parti Sarawak Bersatu and another party called Parti Bumi Kenyalang had both “played this Sarawak nationalism thing and it has not worked”, Chin told FMT.

Chin said DAP, having entered Sarawak in 1978, already has a substantial voter base, though this is largely limited to the Chinese and parts of the Bidayuh communities. Its weakness has always been garnering the support of Iban and Malay voters, he said.

“They have one Bidayuh elected representative (Mas Gading MP Mordi Bimol), but they really need to break into the Iban voting market.”

Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi agreed, saying having the status of being a Sarawak-based party will not necessarily result in more votes.

He also said Sarawak DAP needed to grow its support among the Sarawakian Bumiputeras, whether the Dayaks – which comprises the Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and others – or Malays.

This can be done by fielding a Bumiputera candidate who is competent, understands local issues and is a member of the local community, in mixed areas with a significant demographic of non-Bumiputera voters, he said.

This would then increase its number of Sarawakian Bumiputera candidates and its appeal among the community.

Awang Azman also said Sarawak DAP must get more Dayak figures involved in its political process and policymaking in advocating for the community’s interests to widen its support among them.

Wong, who is senior vice-president of PDP, had suggested that Sarawak DAP transform itself into a “wholly locally-based opposition” by withdrawing from its national body and having its elected representatives relinquish any portfolios at the national level.

Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen dismissed Wong’s challenge as being “preposterous” and said the state chapter will remain part of the national body.

Meanwhile, Awang Azman said the fundamental issues remains Sarawak DAP’s choice of election candidates, the issues it chooses to champion, and the areas it focuses on, adding that it should not waste its resources venturing into Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) strongholds.

“Its performance in the 2021 state polls was quite uninspiring. To strengthen its support as a ‘peninsula’ party, Sarawak DAP must play an active role as a check and balance and watchdog to development or local issues.

“It must also be sensitive to the local community’s needs, so that the issues they raise are truly local issues.”