The 2021 Sarawak State Election: The Rise of Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Prospects for Sarawak Politics

Abstract

This article examines the results of the 2021 Sarawak State Election (SSE21) and explains Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) major victory. Analysts had predicted an unassailable success for GPS but stopped short of giving the coalition more than 70 seats (out of the 82 seats contested). This was due to restricted candidates’ movements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, political uncertainties at the federal level and the challenges posed by newcomers such as Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK). However, the results indicated otherwise: GPS did the unthinkable, winning more than 90% of the seats in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, including recapturing some of the traditional seats held by the opposition. Moreover, it turned out that the COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) were advantageous to GPS and disadvantageous to the opposition. The article also explores a host of other factors contributing to GPS’s rise such as the coalition’s incumbency advantage, low voting turnout and the unhappiness towards the opposition among some segments of voters. GPS’s sweeping win has cemented its position in local politics and has given it more leverage as a kingmaker at the federal level. Even though the future looks promising for GPS, the prevailing political conditions at the federal level and the changing mood of the electorates will set to test the coalition’s dominance in Sarawak.