Barisan Nasional Sarawak, led by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), would win big if the state legislative assembly election is held in April as widely predicted, said Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections' coordinator, BK Ong.

NONE He said this was due to several reasons such as the lack of a strong united opposition, lack of a large pool of young voters and lack of opposition presence in rural areas, adding that the key for any political party to emerge triumphant in Sarawak was to win rural constituencies.

"In this aspect, BN Sarawak is ahead of opposition parties, such as DAP and PKR. At present rural seats are safe for BN," said Ong ( left ), who also heads the Malaysian Election Observer Network (Meon) which will observe Sarawak elections.

Meon is a coalition of several election watchdog groups, comprising the Malaysian Voters Union of Penang, National Institute of Election Integrity, Komunikasi Masyarakat and Sarawak for Free and Fair Elections.

Ong also stressed that although PKR and DAP came under Pakatan Rakyat, they, unlike BN, were not a cohesive consolidated unit.

"The opposition parties might win a few seats, but would not be able to deny BN its two-thirds majority," he said.

Opposition running out of time

Ong noted that unlike BN, the opposition parties were yet to finalise their collaborations and identify candidates for each seat.

"Time is running out. By now they should have presented their candidates to familiarise them with the voters."

sarawak state elections parties in the running In last state polls, BN won 62 seats, while the opposition parties won eight. The next Sarawak election is not due until May 2011.

Ong confidently forecast the election was likely to be held this year, probably in April or the latest in September.

He said the Election Commission (EC) of late seemed to be working extra hard, leading him to believe the assembly polls would be held soon.

Sarawak, like Sabah, is seen as crucial for Pakatan's ambition to capture Putrajaya in the 13th General Eection.

Like its Borneo neighbour, Sarawak's importance in the national political landscape is not difficult to see.

The state has 31 out of the total 222 total Parliament seats, with all, except one, won by BN in 2008 General Election.

Major breakthrough required

He said even though Pakatan can still win more seats in the peninsular in the next general election, it needed to make a major breakthrough in coming Sarawak polls to capture the government.

He said another unfavourable factor for the opposition was that many eligible youngsters and rural people had not registered themselves as voters.

NONE He blamed it partly on the EC's inefficiency to carry out effective campaigns to register them, especially rural residents who faced difficulties in transportation and communications.

"Many youths, especially those working in urban areas, did not register because they assume they would not get the chance to go back to their rural homes to vote," said Ong.

According to the EC, some 473,000 eligible citizens have yet to register as voters in Sarawak

The current Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud ( left ), the president of PBB, has held his post since 1981, making him the longest serving head of a state government in the country.

Ong noted although the opposition parties could well exploit and expose weaknesses in Taib's tenure as chief minister, it would not be enough to deny BN an outright victory.