Malaysia’s Sarawak locks election date amid autonomy, resource control push

Malaysia’s Sarawak will hold a state election on December 12 as the incumbent government seeks a fresh mandate to press demands over autonomy and control of the territory’s natural resources.

The filing of nominations will begin on November 28 and early voting will be on December 8, Election Commission chairman Ramlan Harun told reporters on Friday.

The 14-day election campaign involving more than 2.05 million eligible voters choosing 82 members will end on December 11, the commission said in a statement.

The oil-rich Borneo state’s ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is a major pillar of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s federal government, contributing 23 MPs to his parliamentary support as another coalition partner, Barisan Nasional, pushes him to call an early national election.

Sarawak’s assembly was dissolved on October 26, four months before its term was due to expire in February, after state leader Abang Johari Openg sought a renewed mandate to pursue his administration’s development agenda.

GPS swept 76 seats in the 2021 election, leaving four to Parti Sarawak Bersatu and two to the Democratic Action Party, which belongs to Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan alliance.

Parti Sarawak Bersatu subsequently dissolved and three of its former assemblymen joined a GPS component party.

Abang Johari has put Sarawak’s constitutional entitlements at the centre of his re-election bid.

“I will not back down when it comes to MA63,” he told a gathering last month, the Sarawak Tribune reported.

The Malaysia Agreement 1963 established the terms under which Sarawak and neighbouring Sabah joined Malaya and Singapore to create Malaysia.

Sarawak’s leadership has also sought greater authority over its petroleum industry through state-owned company Petros, whose role in gas distribution is disputed by national energy giant Petronas.

The federal court has scheduled five days of hearings from January 25, 2027, on separate petitions by Petronas and the Sarawak government challenging state and federal petroleum laws, state news agency Bernama reported.

Abang Johari told Malaysian business publication The Edge on Thursday that he expected an out-of-court settlement by year-end, despite the looming legal fight.

During his October budget speech in parliament, Anwar said 12 MA63-related matters were finalised, including Sarawak’s acquisition of Bintulu Port and regional airline AirBorneo.

“The MA63 Agreement should be viewed as part of the national covenant,” Anwar said, according to Bernama.

Sarawak-born political scientist James Chin previously told This Week in Asia that GPS preferred working with Anwar’s government for now, but its allegiance could shift depending on the outcome of the next general election.