Awang Tengah calon potensi ganti Abang Jo sebagai premier Sarawak

Analysts suggest Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, Deputy Premier of Sarawak, could be a strong potential successor to Abang Johari Openg as the next Premier of Sarawak, reports FMT. Johari has recently indicated at a PBB meeting that he may no longer serve as Premier following the upcoming PRN. He has been the Premier since January 2017, succeeding Adenan Satem, who passed away during his term.

Jayum Jawan, a political analyst from the University of Malaysia, noted that Awang Tengah is the dominant Bumiputera deputy president of the PBB, a tradition where the party's former deputy president from the Bumiputera wing is expected to become the next party president. James Chin, from the University of Tasmania, mentioned several names as possible replacements for Johari, but did not disclose them, as the choice may change within the coming years.

Chin added that the new premier should ideally be a Muslim, not necessarily from the Sarawak or Melanau communities, but could be from other ethnic groups. The transfer of power is expected to be smooth, as the PBB has long followed a consensus-based approach and maintains discipline within the organization, according to Awang Azman Pawi, another analyst.

If the replacement process happens, it would be better to view it as a consensus-seeking process rather than a competitive one, he added. While there are no confirmed Muslim non-Muslim candidates for the next Premier, Chin stated that the chances are slim, as a Malay or Melanau Muslim is almost certain to hold the position. According to Jayum, there has never been a single Dayak leader with the potential to become the Premier, as some prominent Dayak figures in the PBB are mainly focused on their own constituencies.

He believes that a narrow view of the situation makes them unsuitable to lead the party, which is expected to represent Malays, Melanau, Dayaks, and even the Sarawak Chinese community. However, Awang Azman pointed out that current political developments in Sarawak are not as straightforward as having a Dayak or Malay-Melanau Premier.

The primary criteria for the successor include acceptance within the PBB and the Sarawak-GP coalition, the ability to win a majority of state seats, experience in governance, maintaining Sarawak's autonomy and interests, and the ability to maintain ethnic harmony.