The fifth Sarawak state election was held between Wednesday, 15 April and Thursday, 16 April 1987 with a nomination date set on Monday, 6 April 1987. This was a snap election following the
'Ming Court' affair. The
state assembly was dissolved on 12 March 1987 by
Sarawak governor with the advice of chief minister of Sarawak,
Abdul Taib Mahmud.
All the 48 Sarawak state assembly seats were contested. In this election, Sarawak
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 ...
(BN) fielded candidates for all 48 seats, PBDS for 21 seats, PERMAS for 21 seats,
Democratic Action Party
The Democratic Action Party (abbreviation: DAP; ms, Parti Tindakan Demokratik; ; ta, ஜனநாயக செயல் கட்சி) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Malaysia. As one of four component parties of the ...
(DAP) for 11 seats, and Sarawak Democratik Bersatu (BERSATU) for one seat. There were 16 independents contesting for the seats. There were a total of 118 candidates vying for the seats, which was the lowest since 1979 election. A total of 625,270 voters were eligible to cast their votes.
Background
This snap election was called by Taib due to heightening of
Ming court affair political crisis when
Abdul Rahman Ya'kub
Tun Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman bin Ya'kub ( ms, عبدالرحمن بن يعقوب, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 3 January 1928 – 9 January 2015) was a Malaysian politician of Melanau descent from Mukah. He was the third C ...
together with 27 other state assemblymen signed a letter to call for Taib's resignation. Abdul Rahman formed a new political party named
Persatuan Rakyat Malaysia Sarawak (PERMAS) just before the election. Together with
Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak
The Sarawak Native People's Party or ms, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was a political party in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It was established in 1983, by Datuk Amar Leo Moggie Irok, after seceding from Sarawak National Party (SNAP) ...
(PBDS), Abdul Rahman would form an opposition alliance to challenge Taib at the polls.
Results
Summary
Results by constituency
Sarawak BN, composed of
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB; en, United Bumiputera Heritage Party) is a right-wing political party in Malaysia. It is currently the largest political party in Sarawak. Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu was formed from the combination o ...
(PBB),
Sarawak United Peoples' Party
The Sarawak United Peoples' Party, or SUPP (; ms, Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak; Iban: ''Gerempong Sa'ati Rayat Sarawak'') is a multiracial centre-right local political party of Malaysia based in Sarawak. The SUPP president is Dr. Sim Kui Hi ...
(SUPP), and
Sarawak National Party
The Sarawak National Party known by its acronym as "SNAP", is now a defunct political party in Malaysia. It was a member party of the Alliance Party from 1963 to 1966 and a member of Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition from 1976 until its expulsion ...
(SNAP), won 28 out of 48 seats on the election day, thus able to form a government with a simple majority.
The full list of representatives is shown below:
See also
*
Elections in Sarawak
*
1987 Ming Court Affair
The Ming Court Affair was a political coup in Sarawak, Malaysia that began in 1983, developed into a full-blown political crisis during 1987 state election, and ended after the Sarawak Malaysian People's Association (PERMAS) was dissolved in 19 ...
*
List of Malaysian State Assembly Representatives (1986–1990)
References
{{Malaysian elections
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
1987 elections in Malaysia