Pride goes before the fall

THE 11th Sarawak state election on Saturday saw incumbent Chief Minister, Tan Sri Adenan Satem's Barisan Nasional return victorious.

No big surprise, considering the popularity of Adenan heading into the polls.

Everyone was expecting Barisan to form government once again, and many even expected a two-thirds majority.

But not many had forecast BN to perform above Adenan's target of 70 seats.

The manner of the victory was so convincing that it immediately reminded me of the Barisan Nasional before the 2008 political tsunami.

There are a number of reasons that contributed towards this resounding victory but I will only discuss the obvious one: the Opposition' questionable campaign strategy, especially of parties within Pakatan Harapan.

While it may not be truly representative of how the coalition would perform on a national scale in the next General Election, it is definitely something that one can't ignore.

Losing close to half the seats they won back in 2011 is a huge cause for concern. And their claims of gerrymandering of constituencies is not the main cause.

The Opposition' disastrous campaign already showed signs of what was to come.

The public spat ended with six overlapped seats between PKR and DAP, indicating a strained relationship between the two 'frenemies' within the Opposition's main bloc, Pakatan Harapan.

Despite appearing to be doing well on their own, both these parties may have forgotten the age-old adage, united we stand, divided we fall.

PKR may have emerged from the battle less scathed as they successfully defended their three seats, and performed better than their DAP comrades in the others.

However, overall, this result presents a setback for the Opposition.

This election is a perfect case study highlighting their apparent inability to work together in assessing the best candidates and party to be fielded for any particular seat.

Take Mulu for example; the PKR candidate received more votes than the DAP's candidate.

The same also happened in Murum and Ngemah.

Even in Mambong, PKR's Willie Mongin gained slightly more votes than DAP's Sanjan Daik despite both gaining almost the same number of votes.

These fours seats were 'initially' allocated to DAP.

As for Batu Kitang, it is clear that the five-cornered fight hurt the Opposition coalition more than BN, after these political allies cancelled each other out.

DAP's Abdul Aziz Isa gained way more votes than PKR's Voon Shiak Ni which most likely will leave a sour taste in the mouth for both parties.

Nevertheless, between the two parties, it is clear which one suffered more.

Just look at the reactions after the election results were announced.

As the biggest Opposition presence in Sarawak in terms of elected representatives, the DAP sustained heavier wounds by far.

Maybe it is about time these parties set aside their differences (more like, ego) in order to offer a more viable alternative for the people of Sarawak.

Right now, coupled with Parti Amanah Negara' (Amanah) disastrous showing, Pakatan Harapan in Sarawak does not show the pedigree of a government in waiting.

It is time for them to go back to the drawing board, find common ground, and come back united.

It is time for them to dial down the political rhetoric and focus more on what the people really need.

If they continue on this trajectory and ignore the writing on the wall, don't be surprised if their own supporters desert them in the future.

After all, pride comes before the fall, doesn't it?

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Hafiz is in Kuching Sarawak covering the 11th Sarawak State Election for Astro AWANI. Readers are welcome to share your opinion with him at hafiz_marzukhi@astro.com.my

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the view of Astro AWANI.