Saturday, April 2, 2011

Orang Malaya PKR, Listen Lah!

S’wak polls: Rude wake-up call for PKR

Joe Fernandez | April 2, 2011

If Snap is indeed being funded by BN as PKR strenuously claims, this is something that’s best seen to be believed.
 
COMMENT
 

The propaganda barrage is intense. The story is that the Sarawak National Party (Snap) is a fifth column within the opposition alliance and or otherwise funded by the ruling Barisan Nasional to split votes and give the latter victory by default.

The fact that such self-serving talk emanates openly from PKR does not seem to augur too well for the fledging opposition alliance in Sarawak. PKR is clearly the spoiler in the pack.

It’s true that the BN in Sarawak has been known to fund at least one mosquito party which appears from nowhere, on the eve of state elections, to make a bid for every seat.

The most infamous example was Parti Negara Rakyat Sarawak (Negara) in the early 1990s which was funded by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB)-linked moneybags. The party lost every seat but in the process managed to draw away enough votes from the opposition especially in the marginal and mixed seats.

If Snap is indeed being funded by BN as PKR strenuously claims, notwithstanding various devious attempts in the past by Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to finish it off once and for all, this is something that’s best seen to be believed.

PKR seems patently oblivious to the inconvenient fact that Daniel Tajem, Taib’s arch political enemy and nemesis, is Snap adviser. Hence, BN funding for Snap is an unlikely scenario given the history of mutual animosity between the two men.

Taib has been known to openly ridicule Tajem even in the Iban longhouses. Here, the Melanau Dayak Taib puts on his Dayak mask while downplaying his faith in the process.

There is also the fact that Snap is not going for every seat unlike Negara. A BN-funded Snap would surely go for all 71 state seats. Also, the talk is that former PKR vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan may be Snap’s director of operations for the elections. Again, this rules out the “BN-funded Snap” theory.

It’s not known how the opposition alliance will come together, if at all, before the April 6 nomination date. For one, there’s still no let-up in the PKR campaign against Snap as the former desperately attempts to discredit the latter in the eyes of the voters to claim the lion’s share of the seats. However, even their unlikely coming together will not assure the opposition alliance victory at the polls.

‘Melayu party from Malaya’


If at all the Ibans turn away from BN, and quite a number of them will do so in any case this time, they are more than likely to swear by the home-grown Snap rather than PKR. The latter is seen disparagingly by the parochial longhouse dwellers as a “Melayu party from Malaya.”

The Ibans know which side their political bread is buttered vis-a-vis Peninsular Malaysia. They may have more than a beef with the Taib regime but they will be damned if they are going to allow any orang luar (outsiders) to capitalise on the situation in the process.

The lessons of Sabah from 1994, and the current predicament of the Dusun, are only too well etched in their minds. Nine out of the 12 state cabinet positions in Sabah, including that of chief minister, are today held by Peninsular Malaysian parties. That’s more than enough to scare off the locals from a Kuala Lumpur-controlled Sarawak PKR for good.

No doubt, in the post April 16-period, PKR will have to seriously re-think its presence in Sabah and Sarawak or kiss Putrajaya goodbye forever.

PKR must incorporate itself locally in Sabah and Sarawak, and remain independent of Kuala Lumpur, if it is to be accepted by the tribal-minded Iban and Dusun in particular. The latter continue to flee PKR in the wake of Jeffrey first declining to go for any posts during the recent party polls – except that of Pensiangan division chief – and later announcing his bombshell departure around New Year’s Day.

Attempts are still being made by the party to woo Jeffrey back after it initially made various attempts to demonise him but to no avail. PKR Kota Kinabalu division chief Christina Liew remains starry-eyed and is hoping against hope that her “hero” Jeffrey will return before too long to the fold. She dreams on in the manner that de facto party chief Anwar Ibrahim dreams on in Sabah and Sarawak.

Too ambitious for its own good

PKR, under Anwar, has so far been clearly too ambitious for its own good in Sabah and Sarawak. Much of this ambition is based on the outdated model of proxy politics put in place by the ruling elite since Malaysia. Wither the agenda for change and reform!

PKR sees itself as the legitimate alternative to the PBB in Sarawak and Umno in Sabah. Both the ruling parties in Malaysian Borneo are cast in the ketuanan Melayu (Malay dominance and supremacy) mould favoured by the ruling elite in Putrajaya.

PKR comes 30 years too late to join the gravy train in Malaysian Borneo. PBB and Sabah Umno are discredited political models waiting to tumble down like a house of cards. Already, Sabah BN has come under severe strain as its oft-cited power-sharing model and consensus-and-compromise approach to decision-making – the BN spirit – comes apart at the hands of local warlords.

The inevitable destruction of the Pesaka component of PBB will finally free Dayak politics from Putrajaya. This will bring an end to proxy politics in Sarawak once and for all. Sarawak, as yet, may for once finally show the way for Sabah.

PKR, under the circumstances, should be willing to eat humble pie and play second fiddle in Sarawak to the local parties like Snap and the others. But this happy state of affairs is unlikely to materialise as long as the party and Anwar dream on oblivious to the emerging harsh realities on the ground.

Almost no one, at this juncture, wants to hazard a guess at the eventual fate of the opposition alliance come April 16 in Sarawak.

One brave analyst in Kuching, a veteran of many polls, thinks that Snap can do no better than nine seats, PKR three seats, DAP 13 seats and PAS one seat. That gives a grand total of 26 seats to deny the BN its coveted two-third majority in the state assembly.

Snap’s seats are likely to come from Pesaka and PBB except perhaps for one each from Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

DAP’s 13 seats will be taken away from the Sarawak United People’s Party (Supp) and drawn from the Chinese, marginal/mixed seats. Already, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has announced that the party will go for 15 seats in Sarawak including five in the south and the rest in the central and northern regions.

PKR is expected to get a seat each from marginal/mixed Malay, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu communities. The party, it is reported, wants to go for between 37 and 39 seats at the very minimum, conceding five to PAS, 15 to 17 to Snap and 15 to DAP.

PKR has reportedly three competing lists i.e. one drawn up by state chief Baru Bian, another by Anwar and the third with 10 names selected by businessman Sng Chee Hua and to be funded by him. Sng is not willing to fund the other PKR candidates. This has made the Sarawak chapter wonder why they should accept his proposal without getting anything in return.

PAS’ sole win in the forthcoming state election can only be in the marginal/mixed area with a significant number of Malay voters.

There are 12 marginal and five mixed seats in Sarawak.

6 comments:

Bob K said...

FMT is funded by the same person who is allegedly one of SNAP's main funders. Same person has also allegedly been behind a lot of the RM motivated destabilisation of one of the major Pakatan Rakyat components.

Anonymous said...

Selamat tgahari saudara..

Saya adalah anak jati dayak minoriti di sarawak, dan blog saudara adalah antara blog yang saya lawati selama ini.

Terkilan, sedih dan kecewa melihat semangat "tahi ayam"(maaf kerana menggunakan perkataan ini) yang ditonjolkan oleh PR yang tidak mampu menunjukkan kepada rakyat persefahaman di antara parti-parti komponen. Dengan kedegilan di antara kedua2 pihak PKR dan SNAP, kami sebagai pemerhati berpendapat;
(i) SNAP mungkin memang tidak jujur dengan PR
(ii)PR tidak akan mampu menerajui kerajaan, kerana semuanya gila kuasa
(iii) Dr Johnical Rayong adalah contoh yang sangat tidak baik dan mungkin golongan muda tidak akan lupa. Ingat, golongan pengundi muda tidak sukakan orang spt Dr Johnical Rayong yg pengkhianat.
(iv) kenapa mesti isu pengagihan kerusi di antara komponen menjadi isu saat2 nak pilihanraya? Masa lain kan ada? Ini menunjukkan yang PR di Sarawak hanya aktif ketika pilihanraya?
(v) Siapakah yg untung dengan perbalahan PR? SNAP? PKR? BN? Taib Mahmud ketawa terbahak2..
(vi) sekiranya ada pertindihan calon di antara parti PR, terus-terang kita katakan, undi kami untuk BN!

Saudara2 dalam SNAP & PKR, kata nak perjuangkan hak2 Dayak.. tapi isu di antara pembahagian kerusi ini sangat2 memalukan. BN pun ada masalah dengan pengagihan kerusi di antara calon, tetapi tdk didedahkan kerana pemimpin2 mereka sanggup berkorban untuk parti!

Sekiranya perangai pemimpin Dayak PR yang sama dgn pemimpin Dayak BN, tiada gunanya kami nak mengundi PR. KAMI RELA BERUBAH, TETAPI PEMIMPIN LANGSUNG TIDAK BERUBAH. YANG PENTING, MEREKA HANYA NAKKAN KUASA! DAYAK SENTIASA AKAN TERJUAL OLEH SAUDARA2... PERJUANGAN SAUDARA2 PR BUAT MASA INI SANGAT2 MENGECEWAKAN.

KAMI MENGHARAPKAN SATU LAWAN SATU DI ANTARA BN DAN PR..PLEASE. MASIH ADA MASA UNTUK SAUDARA2 FIKIRKAN.

Anonymous said...

SUNGGUH MEMALUKAN SEKIRANYA SNAP BETUL2 MENGADAKAN RUNDINGAN SULIT DENGAN BN..

SEKIRANYA BETUL, MAKA SNAP BOLEHLAH MENGUBURKAN DIRI SENDIRI. DULU, SEMENJAK KEMEDEKAAN SNAP ADALAH PARTI HERO. TETAPI SAYANG, PEMIMPIN SGT SENANG DIBELI, MURAH MACAM BELACAN. SELEPAS PENGIKTIRAFAN SEMULA ROS, RAKYAT BAGI MANDAT 1 KERUSI UTK SNAP IAITU RAYONG, TAPI MELOMPAT MCM KATAK.

SEKARANG, SEKIRANYA BETUL DEAL BN/SNAP...SNAP ADALAH AMAT MENGECEWAKAN. TIDAK AKAN ADA PENGUNDI MUDA UNTUK ANDA. MAKA BERKUBRLAH PARTI YANG DIHARAPKAN DAPAT MELINDUNGI ORANG2 DAYAK.

TIDAK KESIANKAH KAMU DENGAN BANGSA KAMU SENDIRI? APA BEZA PEMIMPIN DAYAK BN DENGAN PEMIMPIN DAYAK SNAP/PR? TAIB MAHMUD KORUP, TP SEKURANG2NYA MENAIKKAN ANAK BANGSANYA SENDIRI. DIA ADA MENIPU BANGSA MELANAU? TIDAK!

PEMIMPIN DAYAK MENIPU DAYAK? YA!

PIKIRLAH SENDIRI. BINCANG BAGUS2 DENGAN PKR, PIKIRLAH YANG TERBAIK DAN BUAT KEPUTUSAN YANG TERBAIK UNTUK RAKYAT, BUKAN UNTUK SENDIRI!

UNDI KAMI UNTUK ANDA JIKA 1 LAWAN 1 PR VS BN!

Observer said...

Before all, I think the most important thing now is to destroy Taib politically, or at least erode his political power significantly.

I agree with the majority of Mr Joe Fernandez's observations; I also agree with the two anonymous posters above (April 3, 2011 2:46 PM and April 3, 2011 6:33 PM). However, looking at Mr Fernandez's article, one thing ought to be made clear, in order to have a more balanced perspective. It wasn't PKR which first pointed out that SNAP was a proxy for the peninsular-based BN. It was the Sarawak Report that did it: Mr Fernandez does not mentione this. As far as I know, the Sarawak Report is not a PKR website or a PKR proxy, but a Sarawak nationalist website that wants to let the rakyat see Taib and his cronies for what they really are. Whatever the truth is, it is indeed suspicious that SNAP should suddenly emerge out of its long dormancy to claim, after a far more modest claim, that it would be contesting more than forty seats in the upcoming state election (subsequently reduced to less than 30). Earlier SNAP wanted to contest less than a handful of seats. Why the sudden increase? Where did SNAP get the funding from? As you know, it is no joke to campaign in the interior (where SNAP's best chances are): if one wants to do a careful job, it would be far more expensive than campaigning in urban areas.

Anyway, I don't really give a twig as to who is right or wrong. The crux of the matter here is either the destruction of Taib's political power, or at least its significant erosion, but without at the same time allowing UMNO to fill in the power vacuum. At the rate things are going in the opposition scene, Taib's power base would remain the same after the election. If this is its outcome, it would be really sad for Sarawak.

Anonymous said...

SNAP'S insincerity raises suspicions. Aids to their inner circle confirms that. In their pre campaign they attack PR more than BN. Why is that? And many-many more... One simple conclusion is..SNAP cannot be trusted..yet!

Anonymous said...

I'm appalled by the call that PKR is orang Malaya. Who are we to fool when all this while BN has controlled indirectly Sarawak for the last 50 years by the orang Malaya UMNO! Apa guna orang Sarawak like Taib, Jabu and George when they are corrupted to the bone. Vote out Corruption and abuse of power. Rasuah, salah guna kuasa dan ketidakadilan, bukan budaya kita, apatah lagi dalam mana-mana agama.So SNAP, snap out of your dream and be sincere, for once, to save Sarawak.