All eyes are now focused on the predominantly-Iban Batang Ai by-election, which is expected to be called soon following the demise of representative and state assistant minister Dublin Unting Ingkot.

Unting, a Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice-president, did not recover from a coma after collapsing from a stroke last May. He died at 1.26am today at a private medical centre in Kuching.

A by-election must be held for a seat if the vacancy - either through death or resignation - occurs more than 24 months to the date of the next state election.

Sarawak last held its state election in 2006, and the next one is only due in May 2011. Unlike other states, Sarawak does not hold its election in tandem with the general election.

batang air state seat 240209 In the last state election, Unting was re-elected to Batang Ai after a stiff challenge from Nicholas Bawin Anggat, who contested the state constituency on behalf of opposition Sarawak National Party (Snap).

Unting, who polled 3,295 votes, defeated Bawin (2,489 votes) by 806 votes. The voter turnout was 73.2 percent. Ibans make up 95 percent of the electorate.

Batang Ai is one of the two state seats within the Lubok Antu parliamentary constituency - the other is Engkilili, which was won by Johnicol Rayong, who stood on a Snap ticket.

Rayong has since become an Independent and pledged his support for the ruling BN.

The likely candidates

Batang Ai will be an acid test for both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat in the wake of March 2008 general election. It has been reported that the opposition is getting a groundswell of support from the majority Ibans in recent months.

Bawin, who has recently joined PKR, has been tapped as deputy chief to assist Anwar Ibrahim, the party boss who is Sarawak state chief.

sarawak state seat 2006 breakdown 011208 PKR state assemblyperson Gabriel Adit, who won the Ngemah state seat in 2006 as an Independent, told Malaysiakini : “PKR is strong and there is growing grassroots support for the party.”

“We are looking for a winnable candidate,” he said, adding that Bawin is among the frontrunners.

Bawin is former president of the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) as well as former vice-chairperson of the Majlis Adat Istiadat, a state government agency.

Another name mentioned as a likely candidate is popular local Iban politician Jawah Gerang, the former Lubok Antu MP who first won the parliamentary seat on a PBDS ticket.

He later became partyless after PBDS was de-registered and subsequently switched to a rebel PRS faction led by state assistant minister Larry Sng, who is also the state assemblyperson for Pelagus.

Key issues in the by-election

Sources said the BN is likely to pick either former immigration officer Naga Alam or senior civil servant Nelson Mujah Giri, currently the district officer of Lubok Antu.

Mujah is a brother of senior federal minister Douglas Uggah, who is also PBB senior vice-president, and has close ties to the ruling party.

He may be asked to join PRS, which is a member of the BN coalition and the party with the rightful claim to the seat.

Political observers say the opposition has been active on the ground since the last state elections, and particularly after Unting fell into a coma nine months ago.

sarawak diverse population percentage breakdown of race 160106 Among the key issues in Batang Ai is the increasing unhappiness among the Ibans over the lack of recognition of their native customary rights (NCR) to land.

Another is the Batang Ai Dam, which is located in the state constituency. Many of the relocated Ibans have claimed they were given a raw deal when their land was earmarked for the project.

Sarawak assembly speaker Mohd Asfia Awang Nasar is expected to notify the Election Commission of the vacancy in the Batang Ai seat soon.

According to Bernama , EC chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said today that a by-election in Batang Ai is "compulsory" because the term of the present assembly has not completed even three years.