The Limits of Sarawak Barisan Nasional's Identity Politics and Developmentalism

This chapter focuses on state and general elections in 2006–13 to show dynamic changes in Chinese political preferences and the diminishing political influence of timber bosses and traditional Chinese associations, particularly by focusing on the rivalry between the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in Sibu District. It analyses the key election issues and campaign strategies adopted by the competing parties and explores the implications of SUPP’s eventual electoral defeats for ethnic identity and developmental politics—which were the central planks of Sarawak Barisan Nasional dominance—as well as the significance of the DAP’s victories for local Chinese politics. It demonstrates the limitations of traditional political strategies, the weakening of SUPP’s institutional authority and party machinery, as well as the eroding strength of the “traditional” Chinese organizations that once constituted a key pillar of support. These trends should be understood in the context of the decline of the once-powerful timber tycoons as a political force. Social changes, primarily the expansion of the middle class and the widespread use of new media platforms, created opportunities for the DAP to gain traction in local politics.