KUCHING: Sarawak is the only state in Malaysia to hold state polls separate from the general election.
This has not always been the case: In 1970 and 1974, Sarawak held elections for state and parliamentary constituencies simultaneously.
That changed in the 1978 general election. While joining in the contests for parliamentary seats, Sarawak opted to hold the state election a year later.
The reason for this was that a group, led by assemblyman for Repok Chong Siew Chiang, had left SUPP in the ruling coalition to form the Sarawak DAP.
Then Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abdul Rahman Yakub was afraid that many Chinese might vote for DAP because of SUPP-related internal problems in Barisan Nasional, and wanted time to “stabilise” the situation.
As it turned out, DAP did not win a single constituency in the third Sarawak state election in 1979. Nor did the party secure any seat in the 1983, 1987 and 1991 state polls.
DAP, now the main rival of BN in Sarawak, only started winning seats – three – in 1996.
The fourth state election was held in 1983, and the fifth on 1987, after a group of assemblymen rebelled against then Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud (now Tun and Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sarawak) in what has come to be known as the “Ming Court Affair”.
They included some members from PBB who formed the “Maju Group” faction of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak, or PBDS, which pulled out of the state Barisan Nasional but remained a BN component at the national level.
Taib led the state BN to victory, winning 28 out of the 48 seats in the state assembly. Later, with the defection of eight PBDS assemblymen, BN gained a two-thirds majority.
The sixth state election, in 1991, was held over two days – Sept 28 and 29.
The seventh was held in 1996, on Sept 7 and 8.
The eighth state election was held in a single day, Sept 27, in 2001 due to improved infrastructure and communications. The ninth was held on May 20, 2006.
The 10th state election was held on April 16, 2011, with 71 constituencies at stake.
BN held 55 of the 71 seats in the state assembly dissolved today, DAP 11 and PKR three.
There were two Independents.
The BN seats were held by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu or PBB (35), Sarawak United People’s Party or SUPP (six), Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP (six) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS (eight).
With the redelineation of parliamentary and state constituencies in Sarawak, approved by the Dewan Rakyat on Dec 3 last year, the state seats have been increased to 82.
The 11 new seats comprise three Malay/Melanau majority, three Iban majority, two Orang Ulu majority, two Bidayuh majority and one Chinese majority seats. – Abdul Aziz Harun/Bernama