SARATOK: While it is somewhat a norm that rural areas in Sarawak are generally supporters of the government, the Krian seat has a history of going against the flow.

       Since 2011, voters in this rural seat located in the Saratok parliamentary constituency, have voted in Datuk Ali Biju as their assemblyman, who contested under the PKR banner.

       The 10th and 11th state election also saw Ali defeating Barisan Nasional candidates, against all odds, when the majority of the rural areas in Sarawak backed the ruling coalition.

       Now rebranded as Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), the coalition is looking to seize most of the 82 seats and has its eyes on wresting Krian.

       After Ali’s defection to government-friendly Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in 2020, GPS saw this as an opportunity in the present 12th state polls.

       But an eleventh hour decision saw the incumbent going in as an Independent, defying Bersatu’s decision to stay out.

       Then on the fourth day of campaigning, Ali suddenly announced that he would withdraw from the race in Krian -- despite the fact that he can be voted in as his name will still appear on the ballot papers come polling day on Dec 18.

       Now with the campaigning entering the midway point, the popular Ali -- who is also Saratok MP -- will need to visit his hardcore supporters, including those staying in longhouses located in remote areas, and tell them not to vote for him.

       “I will visit my supporters including those in longhouses and tell them to vote for GPS instead of my name in the ballot papers,” he said when met after a closed-door meeting with his election campaign team at his Saratok service centre.

       A local, who wished to be known only as Arvin, said Ali is a popular figure in the area because of his down-to-earth personality.

       “It doesn’t matter when he was with PKR or after he defected to Bersatu, the locals still like him as their representative. As an independent, they will still vote for him.

       “I am a GPS supporter and I know we need our rep to be with the ruling government. So we need to campaign harder to get the votes,” said Arvin.

       The GPS candidate for Krian is Friday Belik -- a retired Resident of the Betong division -- and is seen as a formidable candidate to wrest back the seat.

       But despite his 17 years of experience in the area as Betong Resident, Friday is not taking things easy.

       “We cannot be complacent. That’s why we have to double our efforts.

       “The Betong division has seen much progress in recent years. Under its 2020-2030 development master plan, more developments are underway.

       “If the elected representative in Krian is from the government, the constituency can enjoy a lot of benefits from the Betong master plan,” said Friday when met during his longhouse campaign trail.

       Political analyst Dr Jeniri Amir said GPS has the advantage now after Ali withdrew from the race and threw his support behind the coalition.

       “GPS has done its research to find a formidable candidate for Krian. Friday is vastly experienced to serve the voters there.

       “I am quite certain Friday has a good chance to win. The daunting task is for the incumbent to meet and convince his supporters to vote for GPS,” said Dr Jeniri.

       Other challengers in the Krian seat are Parti Sarawak Bersatu’s Musa Dinggat and Parti Bumi Kenyalang’s Danny Kuan.

       Krian is an Iban majority seat with 13,074 eligible voters.

       In 2016, Ali won the seat with a majority of 1,640.