Universiti Malaya lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said his research found that some folks in the urban areas were tired of the spat between DAP and PKR.

He concluded that the spoilt votes were a sign of protest towards the two Opposition parties.

“For instance, the dispute between DAP and PKR. They felt spoiling the votes was necessary. It was a safe way,” he said at a forum on the Sarawak election today.

Meanwhile, Awang Azman said the clash between PKR and DAP in several seats also served as an advantage to Barisan Nasional (BN) in winning the election.

“The dispute between the Opposition parties was also a main factor in BN’s win.

“The people are seen as getting tired. They chose to cast their votes in a way that would act as a lesson to DAP and PKR.”

In the 11th Sarawak state election last week, DAP and PKR clashed in six seats, namely Batu Kitang, Mulu, Murum, Mambong, Simanggang and Ngemah.

They lost to BN in all six seats.

It was a landslide victory for the ruling coalition as they won 72 of the 82 seats.

PKR retained three seats while DAP, which had 12 seats prior to the election, only won seven.