With the controversial Sarawak state electoral constituency redelineation passed by the Dewan Rakyat, the next question now is: when will the state election be held?

Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen predicts that the state election will be held in March next year, some three months before the state legislative assembly is automatically dissolved under law.

“I feel that it will be next March. It will be impossible to hold it this month, while Janary 2016 will be too close to Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 8 and 9. So, I believe it will he held in March.

“I believe Chief Minister Adenan Satem will announce some angpow for Chinese associations in Sarawak during Chinese New Year.

“He (Adenan, photo ) will try to avoid having the state election too close to the festival. Everyone will be celebrating Chinese New Year and you cannot interrupt it with an election.

“This will upset the people. The Gawai festival has the same rule,” Chong told Malaysiakini on the sidelines of a DAP fundraising dinner for its Sarawak chapter in Petaling Jaya last night.

Gawai, the biggest celebration for the large local Dayak community in the state, falls in early June. This will be close to the full-term of the current Sarawak state assembly.

The assembly will be dissolved automatically on June 20 next year.

Asked whether Adenan will hold the election just before June, Chong dismissed the idea.

'Feel good' factor has its lifespan

He said this was because Adenan’s feel-good factor as the new chief minister has its lifespan.

“To have (the state election) after more than a year of his appointment as head of the state government will be too long for him, I think.

“April and May are too close to the automatic dissolution date. The longer the gap period, the better for us.”

Adenan was sworn in as Sarawak chief minister in March this year, taking over from Abdul Taib Mahmud, who helmed the state cabinet for 33 years.

While Adenan aggressively pursues a larger oil royalty payment for the state and moved to recognise the Chinese Independent School Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), Chong remains unfazed about the chief minister’s “hijacking” of these issues.

He said this proved that the Sarawak government was trailing behind the DAP in the state and that this would ultimately benefit the Sarawakians.

DAP collected more than RM10,000 during the fundraising dinner. Besides Chong, other party leaders who spoke at the function were secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, publicity secretary Tony Pua and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo.