KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Barisan Nasional (BN) is highly likely to cruise to victory in the Sarawak State Election this time around judging from the coalition’s current performance and popularity. 

Many political analysts were of the opinion that BN would again secure a two-thirds majority and more seats.

A study done by the National Professors Council in October 2015 appeared to support this notion, according to political analyst Assoc Prof Dr Jeniri Amir. 

He noted that Sarawak Chief Minister and state BN chairman Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s popular rating was on a promising 85 per cent high. 

“This is an upswing from the rating of 71 per cent recorded by Merdeka Center in early January last year.

“Among the reasons for it was Sarawak’s push for autonomy in July till September which forthrightly fed the sentiments of the local population,” he said when contacted.

Eleven new seats will be up for grabs in the 11th state election following the electoral boundary redelineation last year, bringing the number of seats at stake to 82.

Adenan had earlier announced that the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly would be dissolved on April 11.

In the 2011 state election, BN took 55 of the 71 seats while the rest were won by DAP (12 seats), PKR (three), and Independent (one). 

Jeniri, a Social Science senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak said Adenan’s 51 ‘reforms’ including abolishing toll and lowering the electricity tariff, were also seen as plus points for the state BN. 

Concurrent with his view is University of Malaya’s political science lecturer, Assoc Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi who predicted that BN would win at least 9 out of the 11 new seats.

“This is because voters in the constituencies are die-hard BN supporters mainly from the rural areas,” he said.

In regards to ethnic composition in the 11 new constituencies, three (Gedong, Kabong and Telian) are Malay/Melanau-dominated and three (Stakan, Selirik and Samalaju) are Iban-dominated.

Two (Murum and Long Lama) have an Orang Ulu majority, two (Serembu and Triboh) have a Bidayuh majority and one (Batu Kitang) is Chinese-dominated. 

On the opposition’s chances, Senior Fellow at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Prof Dr Mohd Faisal Syam Abdol Hazis predicted that PAS and its splinter party Amanah with their limited influence would not jolt BN. 

Mohd Faisal who hailed from Sarawak said the split in the Islamic party had likely eroded voters’ confidence.

“Initially I think PAS has been in the right direction to win. In the 2007 state election, they did make an impact in Beting Maro. 

“But now with the split it would be difficult for the party to win and I think PKR and DAP would do better than these two parties,” he added. — Bernama