Sarawak DAP lost five out of its 12 state seats it held before the just concluded state election, and the party blames this to, among others, the recent redelineation exercise by the Election Commission (EC).

The redrawn electoral boundaries, said DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, were the reasons why Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem could predict BN’s victory in the state polls.

“It is because of such gerrymandering that Adenan could predict during the election campaign that the BN would win at least 70 of the 82 seats, which turned out finally to be 72,” said Lim in a statement today.

Lim cited political analyst Bridget Welsh, who had predicted the state poll’s outcome yesterday, in how the EC had stacked the system in BN’s favour through the redelineation exercise.

Nevertheless, Lim stressed that the DAP is still committed to political change through the democratic process and it had to be prepared to face victories and defeats through the ballot box.

“Despite our disappointments and setbacks, DAP will not be deflected from our objective to elect a full slate of Chinese, Dayak and Malay state assembly representatives in the Sarawak state assembly.

“It has taken DAP Sarawak 18 long years to be elected to the Sarawak state assembly. The Sarawak DAP is prepared for the long haul together with like-minded Sarawakians to achieve the next target - to elect a new state government which will give top priority to the needs and rights of the people, instead of just to the cronies of the powers-that-be.”

'Don't fear losing'

The Gelang Patah MP reminded his party not to be afraid to lose in elections, saying its members must learn from the Sarawak state election to become stronger.

“The test of a political movement dedicated to the highest ideals of justice, freedom and human empowerment, is the ability not to be crushed by a defeat, but to rise, to be stronger and more committed, to fight another day,” he said.

Lim, meanwhile, took the opportunity to congratulate Adenan for his re-election and appointment as Sarawak chief minister for the next five years as well as his promise of ‘Adenan’s Team and Adenan’s Way’ instead of ‘Najib’s Team and Najib’s Way’.

The DAP, in the 2011 Sarawak state election, had won in 12 out of 15 seats it contested, mostly in urban Chinese-majority areas.

This time, however, it only managed to win seven of the 31 seats it contested. Apart from losing five seats it previously held, the party also lost all new seats it contested in.

The Sarawak state polls, which concluded yesterday saw the BN capturing 72 out of the 82 state seats contested, achieving 87.8 percent of the state legislative assembly.