KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is expected to retain power comfortably in the upcoming Sarawak State Election, with the main contest likely to be confined to a handful of urban constituencies rather than a statewide battle for government.
Political analyst Professor James Chin said the overall mood among Sarawakian voters reflects confidence that GPS will once again secure a convincing victory, with the key question now being the size of the coalition’s mandate rather than its ability to form the next state government.
Drawing from his conversations with voters across the state, he said most people viewed only a limited number of seats as genuinely competitive, particularly in the Chinese-majority urban centres of Kuching and Sibu.
“The majority of Sarawak voters I have spoken to think GPS is going to win. The question is really about the margin of victory.
“The discussion now is whether GPS can still win around 78 to 80 seats, leaving the opposition with perhaps two to four seats,” he said in an exclusive interview with Sarawak Tribune and Suara Sarawak here today (July 18).
Chin, who is Professor of Asian Studies and the inaugural Director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, said another issue drawing increasing public interest ahead of the election is whether another Sarawak-based opposition coalition will emerge to challenge the ruling coalition.
He noted that the previous state election marked a significant moment in Sarawak’s political landscape when, for the first time, two local opposition coalitions openly positioned themselves as potential alternative governments.
“In previous elections, local opposition parties generally contested fewer than half of the available seats. But during the last election, both the former Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) declared that they intended to form the government.
“People are now curious whether another Sarawak-based party or coalition will emerge and contest enough seats to present itself as an alternative government,” he said.
However, Chin stressed that public curiosity over the emergence of new political players should not be interpreted as dissatisfaction with the current state administration.
Instead, he said urban voters remain largely focused on bread-and-butter issues that directly affect their daily lives, including the cost of living, employment opportunities and future economic prospects.
“Support for opposition candidates in urban constituencies is often driven less by a desire to change the government and more by the belief that a healthy democracy requires effective checks and balances.
“A lot of Chinese voters, especially in Kuching and Sibu, believe that if you give the government too much power, it becomes less responsive and may start ignoring public concerns,” he said.
Chin said many of these voters continue to support GPS’s broader development agenda and recognise the coalition’s role in driving Sarawak’s economic transformation.
At the same time, they believe the presence of a small but credible opposition is necessary to scrutinise government policies and raise issues that government backbenchers may be reluctant to voice.
“They know that a handful of opposition seats will not threaten GPS’s ability to govern because the coalition will still have a comfortable majority. They simply want someone in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) who can say the things that GPS backbenchers may not be able to say,” he said.
