Voting Result Updates For Batang Ai 7.4.2009

Sarawak Headhunter will attempt to bring the latest voting result updates for the N29 Batang Ai by-election from each counting station as soon as they are known, barring unforeseen circumstances such as communication or internet breakdown or blackout. Please refer to this post for all voting result updates or go to Lina Soo for live coverage and results.

So far as at 11 am, voter turnout at SK Lubok Antu 50+% and at SMK Lubok Antu 40+%.

12.15 pm, voter turnout at Sebangki 70%.

Final Unofficial Results/Voters' voting patterns for Batang Ai
N.29 Batang Ai (2009)
7th April 2009 By-Election N.29 Batang Ai
S/No		Polling District		Polling Station		Reg		Votes		PKR Jawah		BN Malcolm
						Voters		Cast		Gerang		Mussen
1		Sebangki		SK Sebangki		479		351		103		248
2		Lubok Antu		SMK Lubok Antu 1		350		260		93		167
				SMK Lubok Antu 2		366		224		98		126
3		Sekarok		SK Sekarok		356		261		86		175
4		Kesit		SK Ng Kesit		673		365		124		241
				SK Ng Kesit				168		46		122
5		Engkari		SK Ulu Engkari		98		76		33		42
6		Delok		SK Ng Delok		196		142		21		121
7		Kaong		Tadika Kemas		382		280		63		217
8		Empit		SK Melaban		432		321		58		263
9		Kumpang		SK Ng Aup		155		108		24		84
10		Klampu		Rh Renggie Bukong		385		285		129		156
11		Sayat		SK Ng Kumpang		329		260		150		110
12		Kutai		SK Lubok Antu		627		474		134		340
13		Mepi		SK Batang Ai		437		319		72		247
14		Jela		Tadika Kemas		449		366		122		244
15		Sempang		Tadika Kemas		123		89		52		37
16		Bertik		Dewan SALCRA		196		157		47		107
17		Krangan Mong		Tadika Kemas		148		103		15		88
18		Ensawang		Dewan SALCRA		551		221		88		133
19		Kachong		SK Ng Menyebat		240		159		72		87
20		Patoh		Pej P'tanian Ng Patoh		133		90		25		65
21		Bilararap		SK Ulu Lemanak		198		133		66		67
22		Sepaya		SK Ng Tibu		293		239		45		194
23		Gugu		Rh Intang, Mengiling		292		207		147		59
24		Nenyang		SESCO Township		75		61		11		50
25		Lubok Antu		Pos		43
		TOTAL				8006		5719		1924		3790
		MAJORITY										1866

Previous Election Results For Batang Ai

Results/Voters' voting patterns for Batang Ai based on last Parliamentary and DUN Elections for
P203 Lubok Antu (2008) & N.29 Batang Ai (2006)
						P203 Lubok Antu						N.29 Batang Ai
S/No		Polling District		Polling Station		Votes		BN William		SNAP Nicholas		Votes		BN Dublin	SNAP Nicholas
						Cast		Nyallau		Bawin		Cast		Unting	Bawin
1		Sebangki		SK Sebangki		357		273		84		385		276	109
2		Lubok Antu		SMK Lubok Antu 1		253		150		103		254		162	92
				SMK Lubok Antu 2		199		116		83		222		147	75
3		Sekarok		SK Sekarok		236		157		79		270		178	92
4		Kesit		SK Ng Kesit		348		197		151		275		149	126
				SK Ng Kesit								224		132	92
				Rh Umping		159		69		90
5		Engkari		SK Ulu Engkari		80		28		52		193		54	139
				Rh Intang, Mengiling								83		1	82
6		Delok		SK Ng Delok		143		76		67		135		63	72
7		Kaong		Tadika Kemas		273		185		88		267		201	66
8		Empit		SK Melaban		300		206		94		307		247	60
9		Kumpang		SK Ng Aup		113		89		24		119		101	18
10		Klampu		Rh Renggie Bukong		264		142		122		278		136	142
11		Sayat		SK Ng Kumpang		248		125		123
				Dewan S'guna								246		56	190
12		Kutai		SK Lubok Antu		435		317		118		456		314	142
13		Mepi		SK Batang Ai		320		217		103		274		143	131
				SK Batang Ai								308		182	126
14		Jela		Tadika Kemas		361		66		295
15		Sempang		Tadika Kemas		96		35		61		228		49	179
16		Bertik		Dewan SALCRA		148		62		86		141		32	109
17		Krangan Mong		Tadika Kemas		101		86		15
18		Ensawang		Dewan SALCRA		377		229		148		375		294	81
19		Kachong		SK Ng Menyebat		176		61		115		181		77	104
20		Patoh		Pej P'tanian Ng Patoh		85		82		3		74		68	6
21		Bilararap		SK Ulu Lemanak		130		62		68		128		75	53
22		Sepaya		SK Ng Tibu		226		81		145		228		61	167
23		Gugu		Rh Intang, Mengiling		201		60		141
24		Nenyang		SESCO Township		61		46		15		77		58	19
25		Lubok Antu		Pos								56		39	17
		TOTAL				5690		3217		2473		5784		3295	2489
		MAJORITY						744						806

SKY's Open Letter To James Masing

From Hornbill Unleashed

April 2, 2009

An open letter to James Masing

Dear James,

You have been reported by the Borneo Post online (31.3.2009) as blaming Jawah Gerang for the lack of development in Batang Ai, because Jawah did not lobby for projects during his five terms as MP.

This sort of political narrative from a personal friend of 25 years astonishes me. Surely a person with such academic credential and long record in politics like you can say something more inspiring?

Development projects are a right to be enjoyed by tax payers, and not candies to be dangled by the ruling parties in any election to fish for votes.

Ibans are tax-payers too

The poor Ibans in Batang Ai may not pay much in income tax, because they are so poor in cash income. But for everything they buy, such as daily necessities, farm tools, fertilizers, fuel, machinery, construction materials, food, clothing, seeds, and everything they need, they pay the excise tax, sales tax, and the import tax already hidden in the retail price.

The only tax-free things they enjoy are the air they breathe. As tax-paying citizens, they have the basic human right to development in basic infrastructure.

Social Contract

Then there is the social contract. I do not mean the silly social contract that UMNO refers to. I mean the one proposed by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, whom you must have read in your pursuit of a Ph.D.

That contract is a theoretical construct, but its does offer the ground for the legitimacy of government.

There, a government is legitimate morally as long as it looks after the personal security, the prosperity, and the natural rights of citizens. When that government fails in its duty to the governed, then the people have the right to change the government – by a revolution even according to Locke.

Therefore, it is the duty of the federal and state government to provide basic development to the people of Batang Ai, even without the MP lobbying for it! That is what a government for the people, by the people, and of the people is supposed to do.

No money?

You may offer the lame excuse that Sarawak is too vast, with over 5000 villages spread in isolation. It is too expensive to provide basic infrastructure to all poor Sarawakians in the rural area.

How about the money generated from the timber wealth? How can that be channelled to the people rather than a few connected individuals? How about the profit generated by land use for plantation purposes? These are within the jurisdiction of the Sarawak state government after all.

How about the fantastic wealth generated by Sarawak’s indigenous oil and gas? Since you and your state government are so good at lobbying, why have you not lobbied for 20% royalty from the black gold beneath our feet?

Look at the West

In West Malaysia, electricity supply has reached 95% of the population. I think clean water and road access are about that figure. I do not like UMNO, but let’s give them credit for making some real change in rural Malaya. In the Klang Valley, the per capita income is something like RM 5000 per month! Lim Guan Eng has just announced that there are no longer cases of hard-core poverty in Penang State. Somehow, some of the money used in developing Malaya must have come from revenue from Sarawak oil and gas?

In contrast, 80% of the Ibans probably make less than RM 1000 per year.

Since you and your colleagues in the Sarawak BN are such effective lobbyists, can you please get some more funds from UMNO to eradicate poverty in Sarawak?

You and Sarawak BN have a powerful bargaining chip. You can threaten to withdraw support for the BN at the federal level, and help Pakatan Rakyat form the next federal government. After all, UMNO now depends on you guys to hold on to power in Putrajaya!

Many years ago, you told me in a private conversation that the Dayaks cannot be in the opposition. When I started in politics in 1978 in Bandar Kuching, many Chinese voters told me the same thing too.

This is where we disagree. The Dayaks can be in an opposition that can take power to become the government for the sake, not only of the Dayaks, but also for justice for all Sarawakians and all Malaysians.

I am now a private citizen and a pensioner. The Borneo Post would probably not print my letter. So I have to print it here, in cyberspace. I hope one of the readers will send it directly to you.

If you choose to reply, please send it to my email below. I promise you it will be published here in full and without censorship. Then we can have a frank debate between two fellow Anak Sarawak, just as we did about two decades ago in the media on the Bakun Dam.

Good health to you and your family,

Yours truly,

Sim Kwang Yang

(Kenyalang578@hotmail.com)

Batang Ai: Beware The Corrupt BN Bearing Gifts

Christmas has come early to Batang Ai, so much so that the people of other backward constituencies in Sarawak are wishing for the premature deaths of their own incumbents so that they can also enjoy the same "gifts".

In the case of Taib Mahmud, his death will not be premature, but long overdue and eagerly anticipated and awaited even by his own PBB party members and others of the corrupt BN. His deliberate failure to groom a successor will see a power struggle that will tear PBB and the state BN apart.

Anyway that is another story. For a list of all the goodies being bestowed upon the good folk of Batang Ai, see Anil Netto's account at "Batang Ai: Ho! Ho! Ho! The White-Haired One arrives..."

The fact that these goodies belong to the government and the people in the first place and not to BN is conveniently forgotten. The Elections Commission of course does not see these as corrupt practices or attempts to bribe the voters. And BN keeps on trying to justify them as part of "the continuing efforts of development" for the constituency, in spite of the obvious lack over the past 30 years.

Suddenly a critical by-election has brought forward all these "continuing efforts of development" into the space of hardly a month for Batang Ai and Christmas has come early, or so it would appear.

With so many past promises still unfulfilled, will these new promises be fulfilled or will the people of Batang Ai be fooled yet again?

The last 3 days of the by-election campaign period will be the most crucial, that is when the actual cash will arrive. Those voters who can't be bought by cash will be seduced by liquor and general festivities by the BN and they will wake up on election day to find that the voting is over. Or they may be transported away by BN for an all-expenses paid holiday to Kuching until after the voting. PKR should try to catch them in action and gather all the evidence. This will be important in the event an election petition becomes necessary, like in the case of Mong Dagang.

The pro-BN 3 monkeys, the Elections Commission, MACC and the 800+ police will of course as usual see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.

PKR had better have enough fuel and transport (both land and river) ready to transport their voters who may not want be seen dead taking BN transport to their respective voting areas.

Keep a sharp eye on all goings-on during and even after the voting. Do not let your guard down at any time. When the voting ends, voting areas will be closed to all parties except the Elections Commission staff and hanky-panky can take place during the period before the counting begins. Make sure that only trusted members get to be polling and counting agents and they know exactly what to do and look out for - this is absolutely crucial.

The BN's trojan horses, of which there will be many, do not only come in the form of "gifts". They are masters of sabotage as well and they have the Elections Commission, MACC, the police and the whole government machinery on their side.

The only thing that can stop them is the WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

On second thoughts, welcome the corrupt BN bearing gifts.

Sarawak Headhunter's advice to the voters of Batang Ai is that if they want a better future for themselves and their children and grandchildren, TAKE WHATEVER THE BN GIVES AND VOTE FOR PKR.