PRS warns voters not to be misled by politicians falsely claiming to be chosen GPS candidates for the upcoming Sarawak state elections.
KUCHING: With Sarawak state elections expected to be called in the coming months, some politically ambitious individuals have reportedly been going around rural constituencies telling voters they have already been selected as Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidates — a claim that GPS component party Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) has moved swiftly to shut down.
PRS Kanowit branch political secretary Stephen William, issuing a statement on behalf of PRS vice president and federal National Unity Minister Datuk Seri Aaron Dagang, made clear that no candidate announcements have been made by either PRS or the GPS leadership.
“There are certain politicians going around claiming they are the ones already chosen by GPS to contest in certain rural constituencies. We want to reiterate that this is not true,” Stephen said, urging voters not to be deceived by anyone making such assertions ahead of the official announcement.
He cautioned that premature jostling for candidacy carries real consequences on the ground, warning that such behaviour risks fracturing community unity among rural grassroots voters during a sensitive pre-election period. PRS and GPS, he said, will reveal their chosen candidates when the time is appropriate.
GPS is made up of four component parties — PRS, Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP), and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).
On the question of timing, GPS sources have indicated that the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly could be dissolved shortly after the June Gawai Dayak festivities, potentially setting the stage for polls in July or early August 2026. The current assembly term is due to expire in mid-December 2026.
A GPS source indicated confidence in the coalition’s electoral position. “The present political situation in Sarawak is stable enough for GPS to return with a good majority even with the current 82 state constituencies. The Gawai Dayak will generate a festive mood among the Dayaks who form the majority of voters in this state,” the source said.
The coalition has also been ramping up grassroots-level project rollouts backed by significant financial allocations ahead of the anticipated polls.
A key factor shaping the election timeline is GPS’s preference to expand the number of state constituencies from 82 to 99 before heading to the polls — a move that requires parliamentary approval which has yet to materialise.
Sarawak state assembly deputy speaker Datuk Idris Buang, who is also GPS assemblyman for Muara Tuang near Kuching, said the coalition is not under pressure to set an election date until the seat increase is resolved.
“We would like to see the number of state constituencies increased to 99 before we head to the state elections. At the Sarawak level, we had approved the seat increase. However, Parliament has not tabled and approved the seat increase for Sarawak. That is why the Election Commission has not acted on this yet,” Idris said at a Ramadan bazaar event in Kuching.
He expressed hope that Parliament would table and pass the seat expansion bill promptly, noting that Parliament remains the ultimate authority on the matter.
The groundwork for the expansion was laid on July 7, last year, when the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Composition of Membership) Bill 2025 was tabled in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly by Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the assemblyman for Asajaya. The bill was subsequently passed at the state level.
The Premier, Idris noted, will make the final call on election timing.
