Avoiding seat clashes not enough, forge alliance, PSB and DAP told

 

Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir says a pact between Parti Sarawak Bersatu and DAP can give Gabungan Parti Sarawak a fight at the next general election.

PETALING JAYA: Political analysts said Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and DAP will improve their prospects at the next general election (GE15) if they forge an alliance rather than just agree to avoid clashes for seats.

They said this following the revelation by PSB president Wong Soon Koh that negotiations with DAP to boost their chances in GE15 were underway, with the main goal of avoiding clashes against one another.

Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir said a united front was needed if the two opposition parties wanted to give Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) a bigger challenge than that during the recent Sarawak state election.

“It’s not enough to just avoid clashes. If they want to have an impact, it’s more important for them to unite,” he told FMT, adding that this alliance should include other opposition parties.

“Even with DAP and PSB cooperating, they are still clashing with other parties just like they did in the last election, so there’s no point. There will still be multi-cornered fights which will weaken the opposition and only work to GPS’ advantage.”

Jeniri, however, admitted that he was sceptical of the chances of such a front being realised, saying Sarawakian opposition parties were blinded by their ego and confidence.

“There is no way they will be united. In the history of Sarawak politics, it has been very difficult for the opposition to be united because they all have their own agenda,” he said.

On top of having a united front, he said, toppling GPS would also require a “different political narrative altogether”.

Aside from DAP, Wong’s party is also set to formalise another pact with Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) to avoid clashing for seats in GE15.

In the Sarawak election last December, GPS won a landslide victory, grabbing 76 of the 82 seats in the state assembly, while PSB secured four seats and DAP two. Ten parties contested in the state polls, including DAP, PKR and Amanah under their respective banners.

Meanwhile, Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said a potential alliance between PSB and DAP would be a pragmatic move, given how the clash between the two in December had left them with “overwhelming losses”.

However, he told FMT there were two obstacles in the way towards forming a solid and long-lasting alliance.

“The first is difficulties in seat allocation, as they are convinced of their respective winnability over others in overlapping seats and so they will be reluctant to give up these seats.

“The second is, frankly, the longer-term political allegiance of PSB, which may eventually switch to ally itself with GPS should the timing become opportune,” he said.

Asked what it will take to topple GPS, Oh said “money”, explaining that Sarawak’s interior was vast and still socioeconomically lacking.

“During election time, GPS with its long-time incumbency advantage can deliver the kind of resources that would win votes in these constituencies, something which opposition parties are sorely lacking,” he said. - FMT