Is Sarawak still a fixed deposit?
Sarawak used to be a bastion of the BN and there should be no problem for it to retain power. However, various unexpected factors have brought an uphill battle to the Sarawak BN this time. It was said that the Pakatan Rakyat might win up to 20 seats, including many Bumiputera constituencies, and threaten the two-thirds majority of the BN.
By LIM SUE GOAN
Translated by Soong Phui Jee
Sin Chew Daily
The Sarawak state election campaigning period has come close to an end and something unusual has taken place in the past two days. For example, some entry point projects (EPPs) under the Economic Transformation Programme scheduled to be announced on 15 April 2011 (the eve of the polling day) has been postponed to 19 April. Could it be because BN leaders have to concentrate on canvassing?
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been staying in Sarawak in the last few days of the campaigning period. He works harder and is more popular than state Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who said that he will retire within two years. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reminded Taib that he should learn a lesson from history and not to lose the regime because of his personal insistence.
Sarawak used to be a bastion of the BN and there should be no problem for it to retain power. However, various unexpected factors have brought an uphill battle to the Sarawak BN this time. It was said that the Pakatan Rakyat might win up to 20 seats, including many Bumiputera constituencies, and threaten the two-thirds majority of the BN.
Some Umno leaders described Sarawak as a “fixed deposit” of the Sarawak BN based on some historical and political factors. When Sabah, Sarawak joined Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963 and signed the 20-point Memorandum, the sovereignty of Sabah and Sarawak is granted. Therefore, people from the two states insist on supporting the BN. However, the agreement seems to have been gradually shaken, including religious freedom.
The first Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan was of mixed Iban and Chinese parentage. He stressed on state sovereignty and therefore, did not get along well with the federal government. He was ousted under the federal government’s intervention in 1966 and his party SNAP has then become an opposition party.
The Dayak Ibans are the largest ethnic group in Sarawak, comprising 46% of its total population. However, splits and mutual suspicions have made them lose the Chief Minister post. It has then be taken by Muslim Malanaus. From SNAP, the Ibans have split into the Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), Parti Demokratik Progresif Sarawak (SPDP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS). The Ibans have since then played only a supporting role in Sarawak politics.
In 1987, The PBDS joined forces with the Persatuan Rakyat Malaysia Sarawak (Permas) to form the Maju group to contend with the Sarawak BN. As a result, the Maju group won 20 seats in the state election and 15 of them were won by the PBDS. Unexpectedly, seven PBDS state assembly members quit the party not long after the election and joined the state BN.
The Ibans have been betrayed by their leaders. The split has made them despair and unable to contend with the ruling party. They have gradually accepted the fate and this is how Sarawak becomes a fixed deposit of the BN.
In the upcoming state election, the PRS and the SPDP representing the Ibans will be contesting for nine and eight seats respectively. Meanwhile, the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) will be contesting for 35 seats. The Ibans must have felt uneasy over the difference.
Therefore, the Ibans are one of the factors of instability. The election results depend on whether they are ambitious to restore their glorious past. Another factor is the Bible issue. About 40% of Sarawakians are Christians, including the Ibans.
Is Sarawak still a fixed deposit for the BN? It depends on the factors mentioned above, particularly the voters’ minds. We will get the answer the latest by tomorrow.
