Will DAP’s go-rural drive turn out to be a misadventure?
Jimmy Adit, The Ant Daily
Sarawak DAP’s prized assets are the urban voters especially in seats now held by its assemblymen and parliamentarians.
If today it thinks it will still be able to retain those seats and perhaps even win a couple more come the 11th Sarawak Election, it has every right to feel that way given its rising graph – from just one in 2001 to six in 2006 and 12 in 2011.
But DAP could very well stumble in 2016 for at least three reasons. One, if it can’t agree to work with PKR; two, if it spreads itself too thinly in its eagerness to accommodate the clamour of its new found Dayak partners to capture the Dayak heartland; and three, if it takes lightly Chief Minister Adenan Satem’s winning ways even as Pakatan Harapan (Coalition of Hope) looks more like ‘pakatan hancur’, a coalition that’s falling apart.
DAP and PKR know too well their best fighting chance is to fight side by side against a common enemy – BN, but it would seem the Dayaks in DAP are telling their party leaders they are good enough on their own.
Unfortunately, to look good, they hit below the belt. And they hit real hard as this Borneo Post report shows:
DAP Dayak leaders challenge statement from Dr Xavier of PKR
February 2, 2016
KUCHING: A joint statement from Dayak leaders of state DAP is challenging the recent statement made by PKR’s Dr Xavier Jayakumar in Miri on Jan 30, stating that they (PKR) would wrestle with DAP to contest in Senadin state constituency.
The statement pointed out that DAP had actually been working in Miri since 1980, as opposed to Xavier’s statement claiming that PKR had been working in rural constituencies since 2000.
It added that PKR’s continued cooperation with PAS had also made many Sarawakians lose confidence in PKR, even after the formation of Pakatan Harapan (PH).
It further said according to sources, elected representatives from PKR were always missing parliamentary sittings.
“The PKR always think that the Dayaks accept them but they never understand that the Dayaks were reluctantly doing so in previous elections because DAP had not gotten into the rural areas. The talk among the people in the villages and longhouses are about DAP’s continuous effort, not PKR,” said DAP Mambong potential candidate Sanjan Daik in a statement.
DAP, he added, had always been consistent in serving the people — unlike PKR who only did a ‘touch-and-go’ service.
That’s how bad PKR is to the Dayak leaders in DAP. In fact, somewhere in the same news report, DAP Serian deputy chairman Bunsin Kalun was quoted as saying: “If we (must) fight each other, so be it. We will be ready.”
Of course PKR has its own take of DAP. Xavier Jayakumar has this to say:
“If they (DAP) come to all our seats and demand or challenge us … we will have no choice but to take them on.
“Don’t be arrogant and don’t think that we are not going to fight.”
Someone was saying Adenan must be laughing at how the two opposition parties, who agreed to come together under the Pakatan Harapan banner, cannot agree on who should contest which seats.
Even their third partner Amanah is salivating at seats eyed by DAP and PKR.
Adenan may or may not laugh at the antics of the opposition parties, but the chief minister would be the last not to know DAP and PKR will not find it easy to agree to be the lesser players simply because each sees itself as the next government-in-waiting.
If it could, the DAP would want to contest in all 82 seats because that’s what a party that hopes to be the government should do.
It’s the same with PKR, which is why they are arguing it out in the open and telling each other they are ready for the worst.
The thing, it would seem, is there are people in DAP who must have been impressing on the party leaders that DAP is ready for the big time in Sarawak.
This may have been true sometime back but not anymore – not since Adenan took over as chief minister and made several major policy decisions that have changed perceptions and misperceptions.
Adenan today is in total control and he knows what direction he is taking BN to.
On the other hand, PH has no Adenan and is going in all directions.
PKR is being dragged down by its Malayan bosses out of touch with current sentiments of Sarawakians.
Amanah is going fishing where PAS’ bait all but scared the fish away.
DAP is being dragged into rural Sarawak by its Dayak leaders, who despite their recent entry into the game, have a strong bearing on the party’s overall thrust.
DAP’s stranglehold over Sarawak’s urban electorate could very well be compromised.
