Will Mahathir be proven right that Taib could be another Wan Mohtar losing power in Sarawak because he refuses to step down after 30 years as Chief Minister?

Can former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad be proven right when he cryptically advised Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud to “learn from history” in deciding when to step down, citing the case of “one MB who insisted he should continue, and lost the whole state”?
Mahathir was of course referring to the case of Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar Ahmad who was Mentri Besar of Terengganu for 25 years from 1974 to 1999 and was ignominiously evicted from office when Barisan Nasional suffered an electoral rout of 4 – 28 state assembly seats to PAS in the 1999 general elections.
Has Taib overstayed as Sarawak Chief Minister marking his 30th anniversary in office this year?
There can be no doubt that the question of getting Taib to step down as Chief Minister is the single most potent weapon and burning issue against the Barisan Nasional in the 10th Sarawak state general elections, uniting Sarawakians regardless of race or religion throughout the state not because of Taib’s age, the length of his tenure as Chief Minister but because of the lack of accountability, transparency and good governance under Taib’s Chief Ministership illustrated by the mountain of allegations on abuses of power and rampant corruption under his rule which he has not been able to rebut.
It is not that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is not aware of Sarawak Barisan Nasional’s Achilees heel but even he is impotent as far as getting Taib to step down as Chief Minister.
All Najib’s attempts to tie Taib down to an early date to step down had been fobbed off and foiled by the Chief Minister and there is nothing the Prime Minister could do about it.
For instance, when Najib “closed down” Putrajaya for six days and led his entire Cabinet to Sarawak to campaign in the Sarawak state general elections on Sunday, his first message was to assure Sarawakians that a change in the state leadership was imminent.
But Taib refused to “play ball” and made it very clear in Najib’s presence the next day that he was not planning any “imminent” stepping down as Chief Minister, as his time frame is “in a few years’ time”.
“A few years’ time” is not one or two years but at least three years and could even be four or five years!
On Tuesday, Taib even said that he had identified his successor as Sarawak Chief Minister and that he had been grooming his successor for 20 years!
This must rank as the greatest political mystery of the century as no one knows that Taib had been grooming his successor for 20 years – not even Taib or the candidate himself!
Yesterday, Taib vacillated talking at first about “two, three years” and later “two years” as the timeframe of his stepping down after Saturday’s state general elections.
Clearly, it is still very elastic to Taib as to the timeframe of his stepping down as Sarawak Chief Minister and depending on the outcome of Saturday’s polls, it could still range from two, three to four and even five years!
Of course, there is no question of Taib’s remaining as Chief Minister if Mahathir’s warning come true on Saturday and Barisan Nasional loses power with Pakatan Rakyat winning over half of the 71 State Assembly seats.
There are those who believe that Barisan Nasional will be voted out of power in April 16 general elections.
I am more inclined to the second scenario of denying the Barisan Nasional two-thirds State Assembly majority – although the first scenario of Barisan Nasional losing power in Sarawak through the ballot box is no more an unthinkable and impossible objective.
To deny the Barisan Nasional two-thirds majority in the Sarawak State Assembly, Pakatan Rakyat must win at least 24 out of the total of 71 State Assembly seats in Sarawak.
From the ferment and effervescence in Sarawak, the air of freedom of liberation evident among the people during the campaign, it is clear that something is in the works on Saturday affecting the political future of Sarawak and Malaysia.
The goal of denying the Barisan Nasional two-thirds State Assembly majority is eminently achievable which would in fact be the worst defeat in the history of Barisan Nasional.
There is no way Taib could continue as Chief Minister if he loses two-thirds state assembly majority on Saturday as this would impact most adversely on Najib’s political future and in particular for the long-delayed 13th national elections.
Although the electoral prospects for the 15 seats contested by the DAP are ever optimistic and positive by the day, I want to warn and caution all the 15 DAP candidates and election workers that we cannot be assured of victory in anyone of the seats until the votes are counted on Saturday evening and the results announced.
In the one-and-a-half days to polling, Barisan Nasional will go all out to “steal” the 10th Sarawak state general elections with their department of “dirty tricks” working 24/7.
In Kuching, SUPP leaders have declared that they are confident of winning in all the four state seats contested by DAP – Padungan, Pending, Kota Sentosa and Batu Kawah.
We must not take SUPP and Barisan Nasional boasts lightly and I call on all the four DAP candidates in Kuching as well as all the 15 DAP candidates in Sarawak and all voters, supporters and well-wishers to adopt a common approach – that no victory in any constituency is assured until the votes are counted and victory declared, and till then, an all-out effort must be launched to get out every single available vote on Saturday to usher in political change in Sarawak and Malaysia.


Source: http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2011/04/14/will-mahathir-be-proven-right-that-taib-could-be-another-wan-mohtar-losing-power-in-sarawak-because-he-refuses-to-step-down-after-30-years-as-chief-minister/#more-11510

Rocky's Bru: Lighting up Sarawak after the elections

AT a modest office in Kuala Lumpur last Monday, three parties signed an agreement that could pave the way for the provision of 24-hour electricity to over 400 schools in the deepest jungles of Sarawak.
There was no minister involved, which surprised the handful of business journalists covering the event. Given that these are the final few days before the hotlycontested Sarawak election, you'd think the office would have been swarmed by BN politicians.
In fact, you'd imagine that this MoU would have been signed in Kuching, Miri or Sibu where the contests are red hot between BN and the pretenders.
Instead, the signing ceremony was confined to just the signatories representing two companies and Unimas, which had just completed a pilot project to replace diesel-powered generators with made-in-Malaysia green batteries.
As I write this, and as far I know, the implications of this good news have yet to reach Sarawak.
For me, it speaks of one thing: the focus of campaigning in the Sarawak election has been hijacked and is being dictated by other priorities.
From the day Chief Minister Taib Mahmud announced the dissolution of the State Assembly to pave the way for this Saturday's polls, the main issue has revolved around his 30-year tenure as Sarawak's chief executive.
The Opposition's sole aim is to blame every pothole on the road on Taib.
His "ill-gotten" wealth became the focus of Radio Free Sarawak, which is openly backed by the Pakatan Rakyat, since last year.
Despite the State's compliance with international standards, the chief minister was accused of destroying forests and minting money for himself and his family from excessive logging and land grab.
None of these allegations have ever been substantiated but that's besides the point; Taib's enemies were out to discredit him, and were not ashamed to equate him with the likes of Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak.
Never mind if Pakatan Rakyat's own leaders — Nik Aziz, Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh and even Anwar Ibrahim — have been around before Taib became chief minister.
Tit-for-tat, the government supporters built up BN's campaign around the goal of tarnishing the image of the enemy.
Pakatan Rakyat's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has become an easy target after a sex video involving him or his look-a-like surfaced last month. If you read Utusan Malaysia this morning, news about Anwar Ibrahim easily fills up two broadsheet pages.
Those days when Anwar was the deputy prime minister, newspapers worshipped him. Now, the newspaper that Anwar once controlled as if it was his own has become his worst enemy.
Also for the first time in decades of our peaceful multi-religious coexistence as a nation, Christians have become a major election tool. A dangerous precedent has been set.
When PAS started cashing in on Islam for political mileage during the 70s, religion quickly became a divisive factor for the Malays.
A bit like a mini Shi'ite vs Sunni, minus the bloodshed, the Malay-Muslims started to pray with two imams in the same mosque.
The political game being played in Sarawak is potentially more dangerous, as the Church is being used by certain quarters not to divide the Christians but to create an affront with the Government and the Muslims.
It is a strategy being employed stealthily by certain quarters.
The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) was used blatantly in the run-up to the 2008 general election to produce tension with the Malay-Muslims.
Now Hindraf is making a comeback for the next polls despite being outlawed after the last general election, where it played a major role in helping BN lose five States.
If the authorities are not careful, we could witness the clash of religions in political rallies for PRU13!
After the polls this weekend, Prime Minister Najib Razak must make it his priority to resolve the issues facing the religions.
He must be fair and he must be tough to ensure that Malaysia remains moderate.
And Sarawak must go back to work immediately. There is more to this State than churches, mosques and temples.
Under the National Key Result Areas, for example, the government is committed to provide 24-hour electricity supply to more than 140,000 households by next year, and most of these are in Sarawak.
There's a lot of light at the end of this tunnel, yet.
AHIRUDIN ATTAN is group editorial advisor for The Malay Mail, Bernama TV and The Malaysian Reserve. He blogs at rockybru.com.my


Source: http://www.mmail.com.my/content/69462-rockys-bru-lighting-sarawak-after-elections

Election Guide to Sarawak

In the interests of providing our readers with background on the upcoming Sarawak elections, here is a brief guide to the participating political parties.
Sarawak Barisan Nasional
Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP)
SUPP was established in 1959 by Tan Sri Ong Kee Hui and Tan Sri Stephen Yong. The party was one of the key movers in the formation of Barisan Nasional in 1974. In the 2006 state election, SUPP won 12 state seats as part of BN.


Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB)
PBB was registered in 1973 with the merger of Parti Pesaka, Malay-based Barisan Ra’ayat Jati Sarawak (Berjasa) and Parti Negara Sarawak (Panas). It is the largest component of Barisan Nasional. In the 2006 state election, it contested 35 seats and won all.



Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP)
SPDP was formed by former leaders of Sarawak National Party (SNAP) when it was de-registered on November 5, 2002. SPDP was registered on November 8, 2002. In January of the next year, it was accepted as a component of BN. In the 2006 state election, it won eight seats.


Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS)
PRS is an offshoot of the de-registered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak. It joined BN in June 2005. In the 2006 state elections, it won eight seats.



Opposition Parties


Sarawak National Party (SNAP)
SNAP is an Iban-based party with some Chinese support. The party was formed in 1961 by the late Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan (Sarawak’s first chief minister). It was part of the coalition government ruling Sarawak when the state joined Malaysia. In 1966, SNAP became an opposition party. It rejoined BN in 1976. In the 2006 state election, it did not win any seats.


Democratic Action Party (DAP)
Sarawak DAP is the state level party of the peninsula-based party, which is primarily supported by Malaysian Chinese. In the 2006 state election, it won six seats.



Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)
Sarawak PKR is the state-level party of the peninsula-based party. In the 2006 state election, it won one seat, with the election of Dominique Ng. But surprisingly, Ng has not been chosen to defend his seat in the 2011 elections.

Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM)
PCM was formed in 2009. Its members include former Gerakan vice president and member of parliament Huan Cheng Guan and Gabriel Adit Demong.

State Reform Party (Star)
Star was established in 1996 by Dr Patau Rubis after his sacking from the Sarawak cabinet in October 1995. It did not contest in the 2006 state election.


Source: http://www.sarawakreports.org/2011/04/04/election-guide-to-sarawak/

Winds of change thawrted by Money politics

Winds of change thwarted by money politics

S Pathmawathy & Lee Long Hui
Apr 16, 11
10:13pm

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ANALYSIS What is apparent from the just-concluded Sarawak election is that money talks and voters are still easily swayed by short-term gains and quick fixes, opined political analysts.

Barisan Nasional has kept its two-thirds majority in the Sarawak state assembly, bagging 55 out of 71 constituencies, with DAP coming in second with 12, PKR with three seats and one secured by an Independent candidate.

The winds of change which were expected to blow through Sarawak, however forceful, were thwarted as fear and financial dependance on the government still play a role.

Sarawak - the country's largest and most resource-rich state but which remains severely impoverished - is considered the ruling coalition's 'fixed deposit' but is nevertheless showing a strong resistance as the opposition had doubled its representation this time around.

Following are excepts of comments from analysts, several of whom had ventured to the ground during the 10-day campaign period:-

Mohd Faizal Syam Abdol Hazis, head of political studies, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas)

In the rural areas the opposition is not just contesting against the state but also the federal machinery. If you talk to the ordinary people, there is obvious general discontent against BN but these sentiments are not really reflected in the results.

For the Malay-Melanau community especially, politics of patronage still plays a major role. We expect this from civil servants and maybe the business community but the ordinary Malays are also cautious as they don't want their children and future to be victimised.

The possibility of the opposition to win more than what they have is still there (in future), if there was a level playing field in terms of access to the media and contests between parties.

Despite being unhappy and marginalised, and despite promises of development not trickling down in rural areas as promised, they are not willing to take the risk and they are very much dependent on BN.

The access to alternative information is not there and I would say that there is still fear, real or perceived.

Another obvious instrument of control is government agencies, especially the Community Development Department (Kemas) which is very influential in rural areas. Their eyes would know who supports BN and who votes for the opposition.

The Malays are scared that a non-Malay might take over the state and their position would be threatened.

Overall, what we describe as the 'politics of Panadol' is still prevalent here. People are relieved of their pain and suffering with RM20 or RM30 and a tangki air (water tank), and then they are willing to bear the pain for the next five years.

PAS is making inroads as they had clearly managed to reduce BN's majority... there was even a longhouse where PAS had captured the residents' support.

James Chin, political analyst, School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University

The results are not a surprise given that rural seats are going to decide the outcome. Barisan is strongest in rural areas.

These are places where money politics plays a big role. Even in urban areas voters were being paid RM300 per vote.

In rural Iban and Dayak areas it is not unexpected, given that they depend on BN for their livelihood.

SUPP president George Chan's loss was expected because of two reason. Firstly it is his strong anti-Foo Chow sentiments. The Chinese tycoons (from the clan who dominant Piasau) played their cards well to ensure he lost.

Chan took the fall also because he is seen as a close allay of (Chief Minister) Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Chan Eng Seng, veteran journalist and Miri-based researcher

The infighting in SUPP since the last state election had weakened the party, thus causing the losses for the party.

Even DAP could defeat George Chan in Piasau, although DAP does not have a strong base in Miri. The future of SUPP most possibly will be like what had hit Gerakan after the March 3, 2008 general election.

Although there are some SUPP candidates who were elected today, they cannot guarantee the future of the party. SUPP is totally gone.

The SUPP is too close to Taib, and this is something most Chinese voters can no longer compromise on.

Mysterious halo around the sun sets people wondering on eve of Sarawak Election Day 2011

Mysterious halo around the sun sets people wondering

by Jane Moh. Posted on April 15, 2011, Friday

RARE SIGHTING: A mysterious halo around the sun at about 11.45am yesterday set most people at the market to a halt to look up at the rare sighting. The phenomenon lasted for about 30 minutes.

SIBU: The sky made heads turn upwards yesterday, on the eve of the polling day when a halo formed an outer ring of the sun, radiating the rainbow colours.

The 30-minute display, starting from 11.30am sparked a discussion among the people why it had to appear as the polling day was approaching.
They began asking whether it would carry any significance on the polling results and whether this could be a tell-tale sign on the results.
As usual, the halo display turned into a hot coffee shop talk and numerous photographs of the sun were also being posted on Facebook.

source: http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=121200