The 2021 Sarawak State Election and Dayak Politics: Dayakism, Development and Division

Abstract

This article analyses the performance of the candidates and political parties contesting in the Dayak-majority constituencies in the 2021 Sarawak State Election. It explains why, despite the promotion of Dayak issues by Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Pari Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) and the presence of ethnonationalist parties such as the Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB), the Dayak continued to support the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). The article argues that the success of GPS in securing the Dayak support can be attributed to three reasons: first, GPS’s ability in accentuating the “Sarawak First” sentiment among the Dayak; second, the ruling coalition’s ability in dispensing tangible development and economic benefits to the Dayak; and third, the political division among the Dayak which weakened their representation and influence outside of GPS. In the larger scheme of things, even though the theory of ethnic party competition can be used to explain the growth and survival of ethnic-based parties and ethnic politics in West Malaysia, it is only partially applicable in Sarawak, as the dynamics of the Dayak politics shows.