MIRI: Many are already calling the Bukit Sari contest in Saturday’s (Dec 18) twelfth Sarawak election a foregone conclusion, and with good motive.
It was the seat that the incumbent from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali has held for seven phrases in any case, together with when the constituency was often known as Lawas.
His challengers this time round, Alias Mail from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Riyah Basrah of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK), moreover being new faces and uniformed physique retirees, weren’t anticipated to put up any combat.
The speak is that PSB and PBK merely wished to guarantee Awang Tengah didn’t win the seat uncontested, as what occurred in 1996 and 2016.
Awang Tengah who was additionally Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president, received in Lawas from 1997 to 2001, and Bukit Sari from 2006 to 2016.
Based on his political heavyweight standing, and long-serving monitor file, he was the runaway favorite to serve the constituency for an eighth time period.
Universiti Malaya (UM) political analyst Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi stated PSB and PBK would discover it an uphill task to woo the Bukit Sari voters, who had been comfy with Awang Tengah as their elected consultant for over 20 years.
With robust grassroots assist and an excellent service monitor file, new candidates had virtually no likelihood of dethroning him, he stated.
“Awang Tengah has huge expertise because the deputy chief minister and a senior minister in managing overseas direct investments (FDI), propelling Sarawak because the state with the second-highest FDI after Selangor.
“Both PBK and PBS’ transfer in fielding underdog candidates is seen as a mere formality to cease Awang Tengah from profitable unopposed,” he informed Bernama.
However, he additionally identified that the three-cornered contest was nonetheless thought of a wholesome political improvement and was good for democracy, moreover giving the voters in Bukit Sari choices as to who ought to serve them.
Awang Azman stated the previous towards new candidate issue should not be ignored both in the context of concepts, mindset, route and new methods for the constituency.
“This might be thought of by the voters, not just for the brand new faces but in addition for the seasoned ones.
“However, primarily based on the bottom studying for Bukit Sari, we predict that the outcomes might be in favour of Awang Tengah,” he stated.
A research by the UM Centre for Democracy and Elections (UMCEDEL) with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and a neighborhood media company from Nov 20-27 (Phase one) and Dec 8-14 (Phase two), involving 4,500 respondents all through Sarawak, amongst others, discovered that general, the folks of Sarawak had been glad with how the nation and Sarawak was managed by the Federal and the GPS governments respectively.
A complete of 12,935 constituents are eligible to vote in Bukit Sari on Saturday. – Bernama
