Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said it was futile for any party to contest in Jepak, given that it is a stronghold of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB).

PBB is the dominant party in the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak,  which is one of PH’s coalition partners in the federal unity government.

“If PKR were to contest, it would be embarrassing for the party because it would lose the deposit and (also) strain its relationship with GPS,” he told FMT.

The Jepak seat fell vacant after the death of assemblyman Talib Zulpilip on Sept 15. Talib, who held the seat since 1996, was re-elected in 2021 with a 4,243-vote majority.

Last Thursday, Sarawak DAP urged its PKR counterpart to reconsider its decision not to contest in Jepak after PKR Sarawak deputy chairman Abun Sui Anyit said the party would not field a candidate for the sake of the unity government’s stability.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said there was no guarantee that the PKR decision would improve the PH relationship with GPS.

“GPS always vows to be together with whichever side could form the federal government. There is no particular preference for PH from GPS’s point of view,” Oh said.

He said PH might as well do GPS a favour by not contesting since the state coalition was likely to win.