2006 Sarawak State Elections: Issues and Electoral Results

Malaysia held the ninth Sarawak state election on May 20, 2006. It has invited various issues such as native customary rights land development, fuel hike and Chief Minister successor issue. Barisan Nasional won 62 of the 71 seats. The result was seen as a shock because BN failed to maintain the big mandate given from the previous election which was 60 of the 62 seats contested. The opposition meanwhile won 9 seats, reflecting new voting attitudes among the voters. This article examines the election issues and their performance in the election. This article also discusses the factors that influenced the voting patterns and the implications in the future. It is drawn from a 14 days fieldwork since nomination day, throughout election campaign period and polling day in May 2006.