M’sians face 5th by-election

ARCHIVES 2009

By MT Webmaster On Feb 25, 2009

Sarawak state seat falls vacant after death of assemblyman

The timing could not be more uncanny. The opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition has declared Sarawak to be its next frontier, and in recent months, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been making regular trips there.

By Carolyn Hong, The Straits Times

Malaysians woke up yesterday to the prospect of yet another by-election being called within the next two months – this time in remote Sarawak.

It would be the fifth since last March's general election.

The Batang Ai state seat fell vacant when its assemblyman, Datuk Dublin Unting, died early yesterday morning from a stroke. He was 55, and had been the state's assistant minister for sports and agriculture. He had been in a coma since May last year.

The by-election could come very close to two other such polls already set for April 7 in Perak and Kedah. The Perak by-election was called after an opposition MP died, while the one in Kedah was called when an opposition assemblyman quit.

The Sarawak by-election has to be held within 60 days, by April 24. 'A by-election is necessary,' Election Commission chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof told Bernama yesterday.

Malaysian law allows a seat to be left vacant if a scheduled election is due within 24 months. The Sarawak state election is due only in July 2011. Sarawak is the only state that does not hold its election in tandem with the other states.

But the outcome of a by-election for Batang Ai, which is held by the Barisan Nasional (BN), will not make any difference to the power balance in the state assembly.

Sarawak has 71 state seats, of which 62 are held by the BN, eight by the PR, and one by a pro-BN independent.

Nevertheless, it will be hard fought. The PR wants a victory to jump-start its advance into this state, while the BN will want to hold on to the seat to show that it can fight off the opposition.

Sarawak is a BN stronghold, but the opposition is said to be making inroads. There is strong resentment among the Chinese over the issue of land leases, while the Dayak community has been restive over its perception of being sidelined.

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By-election season

Permatang Pauh in Penang, Aug 26 last year: Parliamentary seat. Called after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's wife Wan Azizah Ismail stepped down to make way for him. He won against Umno's Arif Shah Omar Shah in a landslide victory.

Kuala Terengganu, Jan 17 this year: Parliamentary seat. Called after the Umno MP died last November. Parti Islam SeMalaysia's (PAS) Abdul Wahid Endut won by a convincing margin against Umno's Wan Ahmad Farid Salleh.

Bukit Gantang in Perak, polling on April 7: Parliamentary seat. Called after PAS MP Roslan Shaharum died of a heart attack.

Bukit Selambau in Kedah, polling on April 7: State seat. Called after Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) assemblyman V. Arumugam quit abruptly after being accused of committing bigamy.

Batang Ai in Sarawak. No polling date yet: State seat. Its assemblyman Dublin Unting died yesterday of a stroke.

Pensiangan in Sabah: Parliamentary seat. The seat was won uncontested by Barisan Nasional's Joseph Kurup in the March general election last year. This was disputed by PKR, and the matter is now in court. A verdict is expected next month.

Bukit Lanjan in Selangor: State seat. The seat is up in the air after PKR assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong quit following the distribution of photos of her semi-nude. She has, however, yet to formally resign.