The crowd at the DAP ceramah in Ulu Sungei Merah on Sunday night.
SIBU: DAP Parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang hopes DAP can retain the 12 seats it won in the last state election.
The MP from Gelang Patah also hopes to see the party making a breakthrough by winning seats in the Dayak-dominated areas like Tasik Biru, Mambong, Serian, Simanggang, Pakan, Mulu and Murum.
“This is to demonstrate that it is not only in the urban areas, but also in the rural areas, that Sarawakians support DAP’s mission to create a more just, equal and more democratic society,” he said at a ceramah in Ulu Sungei Merah Sunday night.
A mammoth crowd turned up for the ceramah which also saw several national leaders of the party speaking on stage.
Lim admitted that it would not be easy to achieve these objectives as the Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, had said he was confident of winning at least 70 out of the 82 seats up for grabs.
“Adenan is spearheading an election campaign employing a four-pronged strategy to demolish and slash the DAP number in the Sarawak state assembly,” he said.
At a ceramah in Sarikei recently, Lim said in the worst-case scenario DAP could lose up to seven of the 12 seats it won in the previous election.
“But we must prove Adenan wrong on May 7 that instead of the worst-case scenario emerging on polling day, the voters of Sarawak are capable of bringing forth the best-case scenario for the DAP.”
Lim said the 11th state election is not about who will be the Sarawak chief minister and which political party will form the state government.
He said the issue is about having a strong, effective and principled opposition in the state legislative assembly to ensure that Adenan deliver the promises he made to the people and to eradicate corruption.
“As such, the best means to ensure that Adenan will not succumb to abuses and excesses of power is to deny him two-thirds majority in the state assembly, which is not an easy target, as it will mean the opposition collectively winning 28 out of the total of 82 seats.”
DAP is fielding 31 candidates in the state election – 14 Chinese, 16 Dayak (four Bidayuh, nine Iban and three Orang Ulu) and one Malay-Melanau – the largest number in its 38 years in Sarawak.
“I will be elated if DAP can win 20 to 22 seats, hoping that PKR can win six to eight seats, to make the total of 28 `magic figure’ to deny Adenan two-thirds state assembly majority,” he said.