PKR seeks boost in Sarawak

PKR is about to extend its foothold in Sarawak even if its love affair with SNAP seems to have hit the rocks.

PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, without actually naming SNAP, made veiled accusations that the actions of “a certain party” had to do with clandestine ties with the state government.

By Joceline Tan, The Star

THERE has been no hint about who will take over as Chief Minister in Sarawak after Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

But the general opinion is that senior state minister Datuk Seri Abang Johari Tun Openg has got what it takes to take over.

Even the opposition seems to think he will be the one.

So, when PKR unveiled its candidates for the state election yesterday, its candidate for Satok, Ahmad Nazib Johari, jokingly described himself as “the giant killer”.

Satok is, of course, the seat held by Abang Johari.

Like many other candidates, Ahmad Nazib, who is Sarawak PKR Youth chief, dreams of defeating a big name.

But Abang Johari may be too big a name for the young PKR lawyer to take on.

The PKR is contesting 47 seats, of which 26 will overlap with SNAP, its on-off Pakatan Rakyat partner.

Pakatan is supposed to have a pact comprising DAP, PKR and SNAP.

While DAP is going only for the Chinese-majority seats, PKR is going for the Malay as well as the Dayak seats.

SNAP felt that Dayak seats should be exclusively theirs to contest and neither of them wanted to give way.

Sarawak politics is a different kettle of fish from that of the peninsula.

The rules are different here and SNAP did not see why it should play by the rules sets by PKR, which it views as an outsider and a newcomer to the local scene.

Besides, SNAP is proud of the fact that the party had produced the state’s first chief minister.

PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, without actually naming SNAP, made veiled accusations that the actions of “a certain party” had to do with clandestine ties with the state government.

The insinuation is that SNAP is acting on another party’s behest to mess things up for the opposition in the Dayak seats.

“I won’t overrule it. The suspicion is justified because of SNAP’s track record. No one wants to see a repeat betrayal,” Unimas political scientist Dr Faizal Hazis said.

In the 2006 state polls, SNAP’s Johnical Rayong quit the party to become a Barisan-friendly independent after winning in Engkili.

He is now defending the seat under a Barisan ticket.

But PKR actually stands a better chance at advancing in the polls.

Three of its candidates are seen as winners.

They are Baru Bian in Ba’Kelalan, See Chee How in Batu Lintang and Nicholas Bawin in Batang Ai.

These local stars, especially Baru Bian, are the reason for the electrical charge in the PKR campaign this time around.

“Anwar is a crowd-puller, but he is not the reason why the Dayak community is looking seriously at PKR.

“They look up to Baru Bian who has become a respected name among Sarawakians,” Dr Faizal said.

Baru was an elder in the Sidang Injil Borneo or SIB, a significant Christian denomination in Sarawak.

But his claim to fame has been his handling of NCR, or native customary rights, land cases, which not many lawyers are keen to do because most of these cases name the state government as the defendant.

There are some 200 such cases pending in court and he is said to be handling about half of it.

See, a partner in Baru’s firm, also gained a reputation that way.

Prior to this, Dominique Ng was PKR’s sole assemblyman.

Ng has been dropped and the circumstances surrounding his predicament are still a subject of much speculation.

PKR sources said the party had offered to make him a parliamentary candidate in the general election but he is not keen and may enter the fray on April 6 as an independent.

He is a bit of a maverick, and shortly before PKR deputy president Azmin Ali handed out the letters of authorisation to the candidates at a local hotel, Dominique was seen mingling with PKR supporters in the lobby.

PKR is desperate to strengthen its foothold in Sarawak in order to extend its claim as a national party.

But more than that, it needs to burnish its reputation by winning a few seats.

Anwar is still fighting the sodomy case while the sex video issue, which is still raging in the peninsula, has put the party on the defensive.

Both issues are not big over here although banners of “Lelaki Y” in the form of a man in a white towel with his face pixelated have appeared in various Malay areas.

The banner also depicts a Good Morning face towel, toothbrush and mineral water bottle.

Almost every single one of Anwar’s ceramah in Sarawak has had problems with the police.

He is banking on Sarawak to lift the party out of its doldrums.