A Question for the Opposition in Sabah
The opposition can campaign all they like for a hundred days and a hundred nights. Before dawn on polling day, four wheelers will light up the dark jungles of the interior; helicopters will fly in with tons of cash, crispy ones. Slap them with a minimum RM50, and you have wasted your time and energy campaigning.
By GM, Penampang Sabah
Efforts by certain opposition parties in Sabah to capture the state are at the moment heating up. The battle for Sabah has begun and the opposition will be going all out to ensure that this time the mighty BN will be given a run for its money despite the latter having the advantage of funds and heavily armed machinery.
There are winds of change blowing at the moment that does not favor the BN and it is widely anticipated that Sabah will no longer be a fixed deposit for them.
It is very clear that there are groups within the ruling coalition who are not happy due to reasons that are best not explained, yet. I have just come back from a neighboring district which is Kota Marudu, and I spoke to some local people there. It appears that those living close to the township of Kota Marudu do update themselves on the political ongoings of the state and country.
One group which I met expressed their confidence in voting the opposition alliance (Pakatan), provided Pakatan continues to rule in some peninsular states. They added that with the two party system that now exists in Malaysia, we no longer need to fear of bullying from the Federal Government as should Sabah be an opposition state, we will no longer be alone.
I was of course pleased to hear this, I tested their intelligence by asking; what if Sabah falls to the opposition but the states now currently under Pakatan goes back to then BN? Instead of answering my question, the head of the group cheekily asked me, what if we continue supporting the BN and Pakatan forms the Federal Government in the next election? This group I talked to comprised of farmers and local businessmen, and they are PBS members (no offence).
The group also advised me that to win the State, it is not the urban or technology savvy people that we need to convince, whether the opposition wins or not lies very much on the interior folks. Buy them, and then you get Sabah.
The opposition can campaign all they like for a hundred days and a hundred nights. Before dawn on polling day, four wheelers will light up the dark jungles of the interior; helicopters will fly in with tons of cash, crispy ones. Slap them with a minimum RM50, and you have wasted your time and energy campaigning.
A small percentage of urban dwellers are no good themselves, they too practice this unhealthy habit during elections. It is a problem to most countries in the world and it should have not been practiced from the start. These people need to be educated as they are spoiling the growth of the country and risking the future of their next generations.
So, how do we combat vote buying? I kindly challenge anyone from any opposition party in Sabah to reply to this question. It is too risky to reply via the newspapers, let’s do it on Malaysia Today. Vote buying does not just point to a certain party, even super rich individuals who contest as an independents can do it, the opposition can practice this as well, so I am not referring to anyone or any party specifically. This problem is impossible to eradicate, but can and must be reduced. If we can find a solution to this, then we can move on to the issue of phantom voters.
