No hurry for next Sarawak elections, says CM

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg says the next state elections will not be held in the near future. (Bernama pic)

KUCHING: Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg has quashed talk of an early state election, saying there is no hurry to hold one in the near future.

Abang Johari, who is chairman of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition, said the 12th state general election was not due until next year.

“What is the hurry? The term ends in 2021, so it will be in 2021,” he told reporters at Wisma Bapa here today.

He said the GPS election machinery was on standby and ready to go “into battle” any time.

The last state election was held on May 7, 2016 and the next is due only by July next year, but going by past records, the election has always been held a year earlier than the end of the term.

In 2016, the four Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties – Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) – won 72 seats.

However, on June 12 last year, they announced they were leaving BN to form GPS, following BN’s defeat in the 14th general election.

Pakatan Harapan has 10 seats in the state assembly – seven held by DAP and three by PKR. - FMT