GPS unlikely to win seats uncontested in upcoming Sarawak polls

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By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, Oct 17: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is unlikely to secure many uncontested wins in the coming 13th Sarawak election (PRN13), with voters themselves wanting to see candidates tested at the ballot box, says Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Responding to a question on how many seats GPS could win uncontested, the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Information chief said such an outcome was “very unlikely”.

“Uncontested is very unlikely. But I can tell you the feeling on the ground, they would want to see a contest also,” he told reporters during a press conference after officiating DayakDaily’s Sarawak Folklore Writing Competition Awards Ceremony held at Imperial Hotel here today.

Abdul Karim, who is also the Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts as well as Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, further said contests were healthy because they allowed candidates to gauge the true extent of their public support, regardless of who eventually emerged victorious.

“If it is uncontested, sometimes the candidate, whether from GPS or whoever wins, will not know how big their support is.

“That is why it is good to have a contest,” he said.

The last Sarawak State election to see candidates returned unopposed was in 2016, when two Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates won the Bukit Sari and Bukit Kota seats without a contest.

GPS was formed in 2018 after Barisan Nasional’s dissolution in Sarawak. — DayakDaily

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