IN RESPONSE TO BARU BIAN AND ANWAR IBRAHIM

Now that the nominations are over, SNAP does not wish to prolong the bickering among opposition parties but wish to focus against the main adversary, Barisan Nasional.

The call by Baru Bian for SNAP to withdraw its candidates is clearly impertinent and reflects some level of desperation in his dream to be Chief Minister of Sarawak. Just because SNAP does not conduct its election campaign in a manner that other parties do, it does not mean that SNAP is not gaining support among the voters where it is contesting.

SNAP does not believe in wasting a lot of money in the nomination day ‘dog and pony show’ where people are paid to show their support in a vociferous manner. But SNAP had in every constituency it contested a disciplined official delegation to accompany our candidate.

SNAP also does not believe in ostentatious spending on election peripherals such as flags, buntings and billboards in the areas we contest which are mostly economically deprived.

SNAP also refrains from bringing in outsiders, some from the peninsula, who do not understand local sensitivities by uttering brash words in ceramahs and vote canvassing to the chagrin of the peaceful dwellers of rural Sarawak.

Since the areas we are contesting are spread out in the hinterland with poor communications, we have dispensed with centralised ceramahs and have focused on personal visits by our candidates to the thousands of longhouses which are miles apart. That was why we saw it fit to begin our election campaign with an early announcement of our candidates. Devoid of helicopters and mainstream television, we have managed to touch the hearts of the thousands marginalised by mainstream politicians.

The voting trend to be established by the coming elections will indicate to all and sundry that the rural interior natives have their own perception of how politics should be practised for their benefit.

If only PKR would look down from their lofty gaze, they will also see that a number of their candidates have barely made a dent in the thinking of these voters. SNAP has refrained from calling for these PKR candidates to withdraw, out of respect to the voters who, in the final analysis, will decide whom to vote for among the names on their ballot papers.

It is also surprising that Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed concern that SNAP will split the opposition votes and supposedly deliver victory to BN. It is indeed a compliment to SNAP, a party to which he offered only three seats to contest, that apparently its support is widespread and far-reaching enough to be a party that definitely should contest in a lot more than three seats.

As to the allegation that SNAP is sponsored by BN, Baru himself has admitted that SNAP’s campaign is frugal and therefore unbecoming of a richly sponsored party. In the constituency of Pakan, SNAP is having a straight fight with BN and giving BN a good fight instead of giving in as anyone would expect from an alleged vassal party.

Finally, we urge all opposition parties to concentrate on pushing for regime change in Sarawak. SNAP is here to stay and is a proud member of the Sarawak political fraternity.

God bless the people of Sarawak.