DAP hopes to minimise multi-cornered fights against GPS in S’wak polls

 n 2021, DAP lost five seats to GPS following multi-cornered contests involving several opposition parties.

Sarawak DAP secretary Alan Ling said the fragmentation of opposition votes benefitted GPS in several seats in the 2021 state election. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

DAP is looking to minimise the number of multi-cornered fights against Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the Dec 12 Sarawak polls to avoid splitting opposition votes.

Sarawak DAP secretary Alan Ling said the fragmentation of opposition votes benefitted GPS in several seats in the 2021 state election, Borneo Post reported.

In 2021, DAP lost five seats to GPS – Kota Sentosa, Bukit Assek, Pelawan, Tanjong Batu and Pujut – all of which saw multi-cornered contests involving several opposition parties such as the now-defunct Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK).

In all these contests, DAP ended up as the runner-up to GPS, but PSB and PBK candidates garnered thousands of votes each to significantly dilute support that might otherwise have gone to DAP.

PSB has since been dissolved and absorbed by a GPS component, the Progressive Democratic Party.

As part of reducing the likelihood of multi-cornered fights, Ling said DAP hoped to reach an electoral understanding with Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak.

He added that any overlap between both parties was likely limited given that their strengths lay in different areas.

“DAP focusses more on urban seats,” he added. - FMT