SARAWAK saw unexpected leadership change in its just-concluded electoral term. This took place when Tan Sri Adenan Satem died on Jan 11, 2017, in office from cardiac arrest, less than a year after leading the ruling coalition to victory in the 2016 state election.
The late Adenan was appointed as fifth Sarawak Chief Minister on March 1, 2014, taking over from his predecessor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud who had helmed the state since 1981.
Following Adenan's unexpected passing, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg took over as the 6th Sarawak Chief Minister and president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).
In the subsequent by-election for the Tanjung Datu state seat which was formerly held by Adenan, it was overwhelmingly retained by the PBB.
The winds of change that swept through the national and state level following the 2018 general election also saw changes in Sarawak.
The unprecedented victory of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 14th General Election saw four Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties quit the coalition. The four made up of PBB, the Sarawak People's Party, Sarawak United Peoples' Party, Progressive Democratic Party came together to form the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) on June 12, 2018.
Political changes at the federal level continued to influence the political makeup of the state. The collapse of PH in February of 2020 and the subsequent formation of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) also influenced a shake-up in allegiances involving Sarawak's opposition bench. It saw PKR losing all its representatives in the Legislative Assembly by April 2020. The PH flag in the Borneo state was carried by six DAP Sarawak assemblymen.
Movement across the State Assembly floor also saw Krian state representative Ali Biju jump from PKR to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), a new entrant to Sarawak politics.
The DAP's numbers in the august chamber also saw one less when the Federal Court disqualified Dr Ting Tiong Choon as the Pujut assemblyman. The apex court reiterated the State Legislative Assembly's action against him due to his past dual citizenship. The seat remained vacant and no by-election was held, as the vacancy occurred less than two years before the state assembly's term ended.
The DAP's strength in the unicameral chamber also took a further knock when its elected Padungan representative Wong Kin Wei quit the party to become an independent lawmaker. This saw the United Sarawak Party become the largest opposition in the state assembly with six seats. Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, however, remained the state assembly opposition leader.
The Sarawak state assembly's mandate expired on June 6 this year, but the state election had been postponed following the declaration of emergency due to Covid-19.
After the Emergency was lifted on Aug 1, another emergency was declared in Sarawak until February next year.
The change of leadership at the federal level in August 2021 however did not see any changes at the federal level.
The dissolution of the 82-seat Sarawak State Assembly saw GPS holding 68 seats. The breakdown sees PBB (47); PRS (11); SUPP (7); and PDP (3).
Across the aisle, the United Sarawak Party had six seats, DAP (5), Bersatu (1) and a sole independent, while one seat is vacant.
In the 2016 state election, on nomination day itself, the four GPS parties under the then BN won the Bukit Kota and Bukit Sari seats uncontested. The BN maintained its momentum come polling day and won another 70 seats, easily achieving a two-third majority. The four GPS component parties also did better than was anticipated and saw the coalition increase their vote share to 62.19 per cent.
The Sarawak parties' better than expected performance saw the opposition lose out from the inroads it gained in the 2011 state polls. This was true for the DAP which saw it lose five out of the 12 urban seats it defended. It also lost in all the Bumiputera seats it contested in the 2016 polls.
Though PKR managed to defend all three of its seats, they did not win any new ones despite contesting 41 seats.
Candidates from PAS, Parti Amanah Negara, New Sarawak Native People's Party, Star, and independents also failed to make inroads in the 2016 polls.