Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the 10th Sarawak state elections is “almost certain” to be held next month, with the dates of nomination and polling to be fixed by the Election Commission.

azlan Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president James Jemut Masing said Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud gave a clear hint at the state cabinet meeting this morning that the elections will be held in April.

“He hinted as such, asking us to be prepared for the elections,” Masing told Malaysiakini when contacted.

“If you want to bet with people, you can bet April as the month to hold the elections,” Masing, who is also the Land Development Minister, said.

”It is possible that the state legislative assembly will be dissolved at the end of this month for us to have the elections next month,” he said.

“I am sure that only the chief minister and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak know the date of the dissolution of the state assembly, but he (Taib) is not telling us when.

“But you can tell when it is coming. It is just like when it is going to rain by observing the thick black clouds over the sky,” he stressed.

PRS candidate list ready

Masing said once the state assembly is dissolved, it is up to the EC to decide on the dates of nomination and polling.

The ninth state elections was held on May 20, 2006 with the nomination day on May 9, to elect 71 state assemblypersons to the state assembly.

NONE The State Assembly was dissolved by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng ( left ) on April 24, 2006 on Taib’s advice.

On nomination day, BN won two seats uncontested. But it lost in nine other seats to the opposition on polling day.

BN now has 63 state assemblypersons, including  Johnical Rayong (Engkilili) who defected from the Sarawak National Party (Snap) to Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) early this year.

Currently, DAP holds six opposition seats while PKR and Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) has one each.

On PRS list, Masing said his party had finalised the names of its candidates to contest in nine seats in the elections.

The list will be submitted to Taib, being State Barisan Nasional chairman, for endorsement. Masing said PRS only nominated one name for each of the nine seats.

“We have the right to nominate only one name, which we have chosen to represent PRS-BN,” he added.

The Sng factor

larry sng Masing declined to reveal the name of PRS candidate to contest in the hot seat of Pelagus, taking over from the sacked party member Larry Sng ( right ), an assistant minister in the chief minister’s office.

“But it is certainly not Cerisologo Sabut, a senior government officer attached to the Kota Samarahan District Office, as speculated by the media,” he said.

“He is not even covered by our radar,” he said, thanking Sabut for his interest in PRS.

Masing said the party has only name for Ngemah, which PRS lost in 2006. The seat was won by Gabriel Adit Demong as an independent. He is now PCM Sarawak chapter chairperson.

“Like the rest of the PRS candidates, the name of our candidate for Ngemah will be announced at an appropriate time,” he added.

Based on the 2006 elections, PRS will be allocated with nine seats in the coming elections, while the lynch-pin of the State Barisan Nasional ,  Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) will contest in 35, SUPP 19 and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), eight.