COMMENT The dust has settled after the Sarawak election. The BN has retained its two-thirds majority in the state legislature, although it won only 55 percent of the popular vote. This is a major setback because Sarawak used to be a BN fortress.

Resource rich and practically a country unto itself, Sarawak had consistently rebuffed attempts by Peninsular Malaysian political parties eager to gain a foothold in the state. However, the fortress was breached in this election when some 40 percent of Sarawakians decided to align themselves with Pakatan Rakyat.