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429 | |||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 72.7% | ||||||||||||||
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The second Sarawak district council elections was held in 1963. The results of the election was announced from 18 to 25 June 1963. A total of 185,000 voters (72.7% of the registered electorate) cast votes in this election. A total of 998 candidates were vying for 429 district council seats in Sarawak. [1]
Before this election, the Sarawak colonial government had amended the constitution of Sarawak to reduce the number of ex officio members to three in the Council Negri (now Sarawak State Legislative Assembly) with other members indirectly elected in the three-tiered district council elections. The speaker also becomes politically appointed. The chief secretary of the colonial government was replaced by the president of the Supreme Council (today cabinet of Sarawak). Members of the Supreme Council would be appointed to their ministerial roles. Meanwhile, the chief minister would be appointed as the head of government. [2]
On 27 May 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the prime minister of the Federation of Malaya, announced a plan to form a greater federation together with Singapore, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei, to be called Malaysia. On 17 January 1962, the Cobbold Commission was formed to gauge the support of Sarawak and Sabah for the plan; the Commission reported 80 percent support for the federation. [3] [4] As the target date 31 August 1963 for the creation of Malaysia was fast approaching , the four parties (Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak, and Sabah) were going nowhere on their negotiations with Malaya. [1] Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew had refused previous financial terms nearing settlement after a rift with Malayan Chinese Association (now Malaysian Chinese Association). The Sultan of Brunei also halted financial negotiation with Malaya. Sultan of Brunei was reported to questioned his precedence in the Malaysian Conference of Rulers and was apparently unsatisfied at his fourth position in the hierarchy. However, he later denied the breakdown of Brunei-Malaya talk was due to the issue of precedence. [1]
The political system in Sarawak was so new that defections and realignment of political parties can almost certainly be expected. There were three major political parties in Sarawak at that time: Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP), Parti Negara Sarawak (PANAS), and Sarawak Alliance (Alliance). [1] SUPP was led by Ong Kee Hui, who was a banking executive and also a Kuching Municipal Council chairman. Another prominent leader of the party, Stephen Young, was an English and Chinese educated barrister working in Kuching. However, SUPP was also infiltrated with communist supporters. Although the party was non-racial, the majority of its members were Chinese. [1] On the other hand, PANAS was a member of the Alliance. PANAS broke away from the Alliance in April 1963 because of its dissatisfaction of alleged interference of local affairs by the Malayan Alliance Party. Although PANAS leadership was multi-racial, it became predominantly a Malay party. [1] Meanwhile, Alliance comprised four parties: Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Parti Pesaka Sarawak (PESAKA), Barisan Ra'ayat Jati Sarawak (BARJASA), and Sarawak Chinese Association (SCA). SNAP was led by the party secretary, namely Stephen Kalong Ningkan, where he drawn his support from the Iban people of the second division of Sarawak (today Betong and Sri Aman Divisions). PESAKA was founded by Temenggung Jugah after his defection from PANAS in 1962. The PESAKA party drawn its support from the Ibans of the third division of Sarawak (today Sibu, Sarikei, Mukah and Kapit Divisions). BARJASA was representing Malays in the anti-cessionist faction. Lastly, SCA was founded by Ling Beng Siew. He was the former founder of PESAKA and was defeated in his own ward in 1959 elections. [1]
Sarawak had an indirect three-tiered electoral system. The British colonial government installed such a system for the then politically immature Sarawak so that the legislators can have some governmental experience during their tenure in office. The state was divided into 24 local authority areas, each headed by a district council which composed of elected members from single-member constituencies. All the 24 districts then grouped together to form five divisions and each division was headed by a divisional advisory council elected by the respective district councils. The divisional advisory councils then functioned to elect 36 members into Council Negri (now Sarawak State Legislative Assembly). Meanwhile, the Council Negri would select 24 members of parliament to sit in the Parliament of Malaysia. [1] Despite being elected as members of parliament, the representatives would still be answerable to Council Negri, divisional councils, and district councils below them. [1]
Of the total 429 district council seats, Sarawak Alliance won 138 seats, SUPP won 116, independents won 116 seats, and PANAS won 59 seats. [1] On the percentage of total votes, Alliance won 30.6%, independents won 29.7%, SUPP won 24.5%, and PANAS won 15.2% of the votes. [1] SUPP became the dominant party representing the Chinese after the election. The party was initially troubled with allegations of communist infiltration. Besides, three newspapers in support of the party were banned by the government under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance. SUPP also faced stiff competition with SCA where the latter enjoyed support from the Peninsular based Malayan Chinese Association (MCA). Although SUPP lost a substantial number of Chinese votes in four out of five urban centres (Kuching Municipal, Kuching Rural, Sibu Urban, Sibu Rural, and Miri), it did not prevent SUPP from winning district council seats in these areas. The party also enjoyed considerable support in several non-Chinese seats. At the same time, Alliance victory was built on the overwhelming support of the Iban people to SNAP and PESAKA. Alliance captured six out of eight Iban majority districts. Although PANAS was attacked by the Alliance for deserting the latter just before the election; PANAS was able to capture 53 out of 118 seats at the first and second divisions of Sarawak. Besides, the party was able to make inroads northwards into Bintulu and Miri districts. Therefore, PANAS was seen as the voice for the Malays in the first and second divisions of Sarawak. [1]
| Seats won by party | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District councils | Total seats | Alliance | PANAS | SUPP | Independents | ||
| First Division (116 seats) | |||||||
| Lundu | 12 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Kuching Rural | 34 | 2 | 15 | 14 | 3 | ||
| Kuching Municipal | 27 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 0 | ||
| Bau | 16 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 2 | ||
| Upper Sadong | 15 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Lower Sadong | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Second Division (72 seats) | |||||||
| Batang Lupar | 19 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Lubok Antu | 15 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||
| Saribas | 20 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 2 | ||
| Kalaka | 18 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Third Division (148 seats) | |||||||
| Sarikei | 17 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | ||
| Binatang | 15 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1 | ||
| Matu and Daro | 13 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| Sibu Urban | 21 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Sibu Rural | 22 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 6 | ||
| Kanowit | 24 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Kapit | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Mukah | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | ||
| Fourth Division (63 seats) | |||||||
| Bintulu | 18 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Subis | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Miri | 19 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 1 | ||
| Baram | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | ||
| Fifth Division (30 seats) | |||||||
| Limbang | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||
| Lawas | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
After the district council elections, each district council met from 1 July to 5 July 1963 in order to choose one to eight representatives into their respective divisional councils. Although PANAS had the most number of seats in the first division, it required support of the three independents to form a majority in this division. The Alliance formed a clear majority in the second division, but required the support of independents in the third division in order to form a majority. In the fourth and fifth divisions, independents clearly had an upper hand when compared to other political parties. [1]
| Composition of the divisional councils | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional councils | Total seats | Alliance | PANAS | SUPP | Independents | ||
| First Division | 25 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 3 | ||
| Second Division | 22 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Third Division | 27 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 6 | ||
| Fourth Division | 22 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 | ||
| Fifth Division | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
With the announcement of SUPP-PANAS coalition on 1 July, both the parties were able to command a majority in the first division of Sarawak. However, by 15 July, Alliance had an upper hand in third, fourth, and fifth divisions of Sarawak. Therefore, the Alliance was able to command 19 out of 36 seats in the Council Negri. With additional support from the independents, Alliance was able to command 26 seats in the Council Negri. Meanwhile SUPP-PANAS coalition was only able to command ten of the Council Negri seats. [1]
| Composition of Council Negri | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional councils | Total seats | Alliance | SUPP | PANAS | Independents | ||
| First Division | 10 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Second Division | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Third Division | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fourth Division | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Fifth Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
Although Sarawak Alliance only received 34% of the votes during the first-tiered district council elections, it won the mandate to form the first state government of Sarawak after extensive political maneuvering in second and third-tiered elections. SUPP and PANAS, which collectively secured 1.5% more votes than the Sarawak Alliance in the first-tiered election, became the opposition. [5] Although it was obvious that a Dayak from the principal parties (which was either SNAP or PESAKA) should become the first chief minister of Sarawak, Malaysian federal government suggested that Abdul Rahman Ya'kub (a Melanau Muslim leader from BARJASA) should become the chief minister despite his defeat in his own local ward. [6]
However, the federal government eventually accepted a compromise that the chief minister post will be held by a Dayak from SNAP named Stephen Kalong Ningkan. The Malaysian federal government also demanded that both the chief minister and the governor post should not be held by the Dayaks simultaneously. Therefore, Temenggung Jugah, a Dayak from PESAKA, instead of becoming the first governor of Sarawak, was transferred to become the "Federal Minister of Sarawak Affairs". [6] Abang Haji Openg, a prominent Malay aristocrat and civil servant, became the first governor of Sarawak. [5]
Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963. Malayan constitution was amended by incorporating some recommendations by the Inter-governmental Committee (IGC) report, excluding the clause on rights of cession and the nine cardinal principles of good governance by the Brooke government in 1941 constitution of Sarawak. [2]
Sarawak is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in the region of East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, Kalimantan to the south, and Brunei in the north. The state capital, Kuching, is the largest city in Sarawak, the economic centre of the state, and the seat of the Sarawak state government. Other cities and towns in Sarawak include Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu. As of the 2020 Malaysia census, the population of Sarawak was 2.453 million. Sarawak has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests and abundant animal and plant species. It has several prominent cave systems at Gunung Mulu National Park. Rajang River is the longest river in Malaysia; Bakun Dam, one of the largest dams in Southeast Asia, is located on one of its tributaries, the Balui River. Mount Murud is the highest point in the state. Sarawak is the only state of Malaysia with a Christian majority.
Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of 129.5 square kilometres (50.0 sq mi), the city is positioned at the confluence of the Rajang and Igan Rivers, approximately 60 kilometres from the South China Sea and 191.5 kilometres (119 mi) north-east of the state capital, Kuching.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu is a right-wing political party in Malaysia. It is currently the largest political party in Sarawak. Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu was formed from the combination of three parties in Sarawak; Parti Negara Sarawak, Barisan Rakyat Jati Sarawak and Parti Pesaka Anak Sarawak. The formation of the party was for the purpose of the improvement of the livelihood and protect the rights of the Bumiputera in many fields such as politics, economy and social. Formerly a part of Semenanjung-based coalition Barisan Nasional (BN), following the defeat of BN in the 2018 general election and in the aftermath of a meeting between all Sarawak-based BN coalition parties on 12 June 2018, PBB left the coalition to form a new Sarawak-based coalition, Sarawak Parties Alliance.
The Sarawak United Peoples' Party, or SUPP is a multiracial centre-right local political party of Malaysia based in Sarawak. The SUPP president is Dr. Sim Kui Hian. He succeeded the post from his predecessor, Peter Chin Fah Kui in 2014. Established in 1959, SUPP is the first political party in Sarawak. It has its roots in left-leaning ideologies, nationalism and championing for the cause of the working class. Formerly it was one of the Sarawak component members of Barisan Nasional from 1970 until June 2018. Together with other Sarawak-based BN component parties, SUPP always has had tension in its relationship with its Peninsula-based partners. After the 2018 general election defeat of BN had proven that the model was no longer viable, and following a key meeting between all Sarawak-based BN coalition parties on 12 June 2018, SUPP has decided to leave BN to co-form a new Sarawak-based coalition of Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
Tun Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman bin Ya'kub was a Malaysian politician of Melanau descent from Mukah. He was the third Chief Minister of Sarawak and the fourth Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak. He is also an uncle of Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, since his (Taib's) mother Hajah Hamidah Ya'akub (1916–2006) was his (Rahman's) eldest-born sibling.
The ninth Sarawak state election was held on Saturday, 20 May 2006 with nomination day on Tuesday, 9 May 2006. The election functioned to elect 71 representatives to the Sarawak State Assembly. The eighth state assembly was dissolved by Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng by the advice of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, on 24 April 2006.
The History of Sarawak can be traced as far as 40,000 years ago to the paleolithic period where the earliest evidence of human settlement is found in the Niah caves. A series of Chinese ceramics dated from the 8th to 13th century AD was uncovered at the archeological site of Santubong. The coastal regions of Sarawak came under the influence of the Bruneian Empire in the 16th century. In 1839, James Brooke, a British explorer, first arrived in Sarawak. Sarawak was later governed by the Brooke family between 1841 and 1946. During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese for three years. After the war, the last White Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, ceded Sarawak to Britain, and in 1946 it became a British Crown Colony. On 22 July 1963, Sarawak was granted self-government by the British. Following this, it became one of the founding members of the Federation of Malaysia, established on 16 September 1963. However, the federation was opposed by Indonesia, and this led to the three-year Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. From 1960 to 1990, Sarawak experienced a communist insurgency.
The Sarawak National Party known by its acronym as "SNAP", is now a defunct political party in Malaysia. It was a member party of the Alliance Party from 1963 to 1966 and a member of Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition from 1976 until its expulsion in 2004. It contested the General Election in 2004 as well as the Sarawak state elections of 2006 and 2011 as an opposition party.
The Alliance Party was a political coalition in Malaysia. The Alliance Party, whose membership comprised United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), was formally registered as a political organisation on 30 October 1957. It was the ruling coalition of Malaya from 1957 to 1963, and Malaysia from 1963 to 1973. The coalition became the Barisan Nasional in 1973.
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan was a Malaysian politician who served as the first Chief Minister of Sarawak from 1963 to 1966.
Tun Datuk Patinggi Temenggong Jugah anak Barieng, also known as Tun Jugah, was a Malaysian politician of Iban descent from the state of Sarawak. He was the Paramount Chief of the Iban people for more than 55 years. They affectionately called him "Apai" meaning "father" in the Iban language.
The first Sarawak state election was held from Saturday, 10 May 1969 and scheduled to be completed on Saturday, 7 June 1969 which lasted for 4 weeks and was carried out in staggered basis. This was due to the lack of transportation and communication systems in the state at that time. The state election was held at the same time as the 1969 general election. The Dewan Rakyat of the Malaysian Parliament and all the state assemblies were dissolved on 20 March 1969, except for Kelantan and Sabah. The nomination date was set on Saturday, 5 April 1969. However, because of the riot occurred during 13 May incident and the declaration of emergency and the promulgation of Emergency Ordinance No. 1 of 1969 on 15 May 1969, all the ongoing polls were suspended until 1970. During when the suspension was enforced, polling in 9 out of 48 constituencies in Sarawak had started. None of the elections in Sarawak was completed at that time.
The sixth Sarawak state election was held between Friday, 27 September and Saturday, 28 September 1991. This election elected 56 state representatives into the Sarawak State Assembly. This election saw 72.8% of the eligible voters to cast their votes.
The 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis took place in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia from 1965 to 1966. This crisis was started by a group of politicians who were dissatisfied towards Stephen Kalong Ningkan's leadership as chief minister. Ningkan was later removed from the chief minister post by the Governor of Sarawak in June 1966. However, Ningkan was reinstated by the High Court in early September 1966. He was ousted from the chief minister office for the final time at the end of September 1966 and was replaced by Tawi Sli as the new chief minister. It was widely believed that the ouster of Ningkan was a result of interference by the Malaysian federal government due to him being a strong advocate of greater state autonomy.
The Crown Colony of Sarawak was a British Crown colony on the island of Borneo, established in 1946, shortly after the dissolution of the British Military Administration. It was succeeded as the state of Sarawak through the formation of the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
Dato' Sri Penghulu Tawi Sli was the second chief minister of Sarawak.
The communist insurgency in Sarawak was an insurgency in Malaysia from 1962 to 1990, and involved the North Kalimantan Communist Party and the Malaysian Government. It was one of the two Communist insurgencies to challenge the former British colony of Malaysia during the Cold War. As with the earlier Malayan Emergency (1948–1960), the Sarawak Communist insurgents were predominantly ethnic Chinese, who opposed British rule over Sarawak and later opposed the merger of the state into the newly created Federation of Malaysia. The insurgency was triggered by the 1962 Brunei Revolt, which had been instigated by the left-wing Brunei People's Party in opposition to the proposed formation of Malaysia.
The Ming Court Affair was a political coup in Sarawak, Malaysia that began in 1983, developed into a full-blown political crisis during 1987 state election, and ended after the Sarawak Malaysian People's Association (PERMAS) was dissolved in 1991. This political crisis mainly involved in the dispute between Abdul Rahman Ya'kub and his nephew Abdul Taib Mahmud over the control of the state government and Sarawak's natural resources.
The Sarawak Chinese Association was a political party in the Sarawak state of Malaysia.
Dayak in politics refers to the participation of Dayaks to represent their political ideas and interests outside of their community. The movement has continued to have a profound impact on the development of Indonesia and Malaysia, especially in Kalimantan and Sarawak.
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