Barisan has always counted on Sarawak to ensure victory in the past, but will this election be different?
SARAWAK'S reputation as Barisan Nasional's stronghold will be tested in the coming general election by a more confident Pakatan Rakyat.
The state Barisan coalition now holds 29 of the 31 parliamentary seats but there has been talk that the Opposition could win up to six seats.
Buoyed by their success in the state election of 2011 when they bagged 15 of the 71 seats contested, the Opposition parties seem confident that the sentiments of the people would still be in their favour.
In recent weeks, however, some Barisan leaders believe there has been a swing in support back to the ruling coalition. However, it remains to be seen whether the support is enough to stop the Opposition.
Unlike the 2008 polls when the state Barisan managed to win five seats Tanjong Manis, Igan, Kanowit, Selangau and Kapit uncontested, the coming election is expected to be a crowded affair. It's quite likely that there will be no uncontested wins.
In the hot seat
SUPP, the state's oldest party, is likely to be the party most Sarawakians will be watching with interest. After its failure in the last state election where it lost nearly all its Chinese-majority seats, there are those who believe SUPP will be struggling in the coming polls.
Among the casualties in the state election was its then party president Tan Sri Dr George Chan in Piasau. He consequently quit his party post and stepped down as a Deputy Chief Minister. It was a huge blow to the party because in the following state Cabinet reshuffle, the Deputy Chief Minister's post was not returned to the party.
SUPP's poor performance caused a split in the party when Sibu SUPP chief Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, a contender for the president's post, and a group of elected representatives boycotted the triennial delegates conference at the end of 2011, citing irregularities during branch meetings and their elections.
As a result of the boycott, Datuk Seri Peter Chin won the president's post uncontested. Until today, Wong and his group refused to recognise Chin, the Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, as the party president although they appeared to have reached a ceasefire and understanding on who gets to call the shots during the polls.
Unlike the seats in Kuching or Sibu, Dr Chan's defeat in Piasau is indeed a breakthrough for DAP which is hoping to repeat its success in the Miri parliamentary constituency. Piasau is one of two state seats in Miri.
Although Chin, a four-term Miri MP, had announced he wanted to step down, he has said recently that he could still contest.
In the meantime, SUPP has nominated Chin's political secretary Datuk Sebastian Ting as its candidate for Miri while DAP has named its Senadin chief Lim Su Kien as the candidate, much to the dissatisfaction of party members in Miri, who want state DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen, the Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman.
State DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng has decided to take a back seat and will not be defending Sibu after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. So, Chong is now running the show.
SUPP is contesting in seven parliamentary seats this elections but it is said to have only one safe seat in Serian. Despite the gloomy outlook, the party is expected to wrest Sibu back from DAP through its prominent community leader, Temenggong Datuk Vincent Lau.
He is expected to face Ho Leng's special assistant Oscar Ling.
Familiar foes
The bumiputra seats are very likely to stay as Barisan's fixed deposits.
PBB, for one, is expected to deliver a clean sweep of all its 14 contested seats. The party is expected to see at least one new face joining the fray since Kota Samarahan incumbent Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib will not be defending his seat. It has been speculated that a female senior government official could be the candidate.
Barisan, however, could face tough fights in the native seats of Mas Gading, Lubok Antu, Hulu Rajang and Baram. Mas Gading and Baram will be contested by SPDP, while PRS will defend Lubok Antu and Hulu Rajang.
The Mas Gading incumbent is Dr Tiki Lafe, who left SPDP last year with five other elected representatives after a fallout with party president Tan Sri William Mawan. Although Dr Tiki is now partyless, he is still very much a Barisan man and has insisted on defending his seat.
SPDP has nominated Anthony Nogeh, a deputy general manager of a state agency, but it is believed that Dr Tiki could still be fielded as a direct Barisan candidate.
PRS, meanwhile, has to contend with the Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) which is led by Larry Sng. Sng was sacked from PRS by party president Tan Sri Dr James Masing for insu-bordination, and has made it SWP's mission to wipe out PRS in the state.
Of PRS' six seats, Sng is expected to contest in Lubok Antu which is currently represented by Willliam Nyallau Badak.
In Hulu Rajang, Masing has found himself in quite a pickle. He decided to drop MP Datuk Billy Abit Joo but like Dr Tiki, Abit is also insisting on defending his seat.
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