KUCHING: Sarawak DAP needs to put in more effort to reform and transform the party itself instead of focusing on the need for a 'third wave' in Sarawak.
Political analyst Professor James Chin from the University of Tasmania's Asia Institute said the wave theory or political trend, as well as vote swing, do not work anymore due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the pandemic has been and is expected to last for years, hence, things are unpredictable.
In addition, Malaysia is expected to add over 5.8 million voters with the full implementation of Undi18 automatic voters' registration, and the number on the electoral list is expected to increase from time to time.
"It is tough for the DAP to create its third wave in Sarawak as we have lost the pattern (of creating waves) due to the pandemic. Moreover, the country has also witnessed two new governments without an election during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"So, it is hard to predict what's next and there's no guarantee that the young voters are enlightened or progressive," he told the New Straits Times.
Therefore, Chin said, it is more important for Sarawak DAP to focus on reforming its party as it has been led by the same group of people or seen as a 'single-family-dominated' party.
"I doubt if Chong Chieng Jen, the newly re-elected chairman, can create the 'third wave' or lead the party to a great victory, including in the upcoming 15th General Election. Reform in Sarawak DAP is impossible if Chong continues to lead the party," he added.
Sarawak DAP, which was founded by Chong Siew Chiang in 1978, is now led by his son Chieng Jen, who is the Stampin Member of Parliament (MP) and Kota Sentosa assemblyman.
On Monday, DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang said the first 'DAP wave' in Sarawak was from 1978 to 1996 under Siew Chiang and the party finally achieved the breakthrough of having three DAP state assemblymen in Sarawak.
The second 'DAP wave', he said, was when the DAP won 12 state seats in the 10th Sarawak state election in 2011 under the leadership of the late Wong Ho Leng.
The Iskandar Putri MP said the new state committee under Chieng Jen is now responsible for the 'third DAP wave' in Sarawak and should start to focus on GE15 after the party's defeat in the 12th Sarawak election in December last year.
Meanwhile, Senior fellow at Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR) Professor Dr Azmi Hassan opined that DAP national leaders play an important role in creating the 'third wave' in Sarawak.
He said the DAP 'third wave' doesn't begin in Sarawak but at the national level as the party needs to demonstrate that their Sarawak leaders can make decisions on their own, without any influence from the leaders in the Peninsular.
"It is going to be more challenging for DAP to create a third wave in Sarawak compared to the first and second wave as the four local parties quit Barisan Nasional (BN) and formed Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which shows that they are 100 per cent local.
"GPS has also proven that they can go against the federal government to fight for Sarawak's interests and priorities. So, the people are very happy with the 'Sarawak for Sarawakians' sentiment or slogan," he said.
Azmi said although it is difficult to push for the 'third wave' in Sarawak, especially before GE15, it all depends on what their next action or how they prove themselves – that they are a better choice in Sarawak compared to the GPS.
