Sarawak Election 2013

MIRI, Sarawak - Punters are cashing in as excitement over Malaysia's general election campaign builds up, with some placing bets of upto RM200 (S$81) in the hope of striking the jackpot.

A Bernama news agency report on Monday cited Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) publicity and information chief Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew as saying that the election betting had started soon after the nomination process last Saturday.

"It is very worrying as the betting can influence the election results and ultimately, those who suffer for the next five years will be the people at large," he said at a news conference, here.

"We advise those who may want to bet on the election results to stay away from it and do not waste your future by gambling," he said.

Mr Ting, who is the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Miri parliamentary seat, said the party would not lodge a police report since the police had assured them that betting activities were under scrutiny.

Sarawak, that has 31 parliamentary seat, has long been considered BN's "fixed deposit". But that grip could be loosening amid unhappiness with its long-time Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, accused of corruption and nepotism during his three-decade rule.

People are also angry over alleged land grabs by the state government. Natives have set up blockades to stop loggers from clearing their ancestral hunting grounds.

Sarawak is not holding state elections on May 5 because it held them in 2011.