By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2011
The election is a referendum on Taib’s 30-year rule. — File picANALYSIS, April 16 — Up to a million Sarawakians go to the polls today in what has become a referendum on Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s 30 years as chief minister of Malaysia’s largest state.
As the country’s longest-serving head of government, the 74-year-old has been accused of being a corrupt nepotist and lauded for developing a state once covered with the world’s oldest rainforest.
Results from what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called the stiffest contest in Sarawak’s history will tell us which narrative the Sarawak public really believes.
Seemingly, every issue — whether land grabs or corruption — that has been played up by the opposition over the 10-day campaign finds its final source in the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president.
Even the seizure of Malay-language bibles is seen through the frame of an increasing racial divide between the Malay-Melanau Muslims that Taib’s administration is accused of favouring and the mostly Christian Dayak and Chinese population.
It has forced the man Sarawakians call “Pek Moh (white hair)” to label the federal government’s move to mark Malay-language bibles as “stupid”.
This is not the only clash between the federal and Sarawak BN.
BN chairman Najib, sensing the growing disaffection towards Taib, pleaded with Sarawakians to “believe him” that the chief minister would step down after the polls.
But Taib said almost immediately he would only step down in a few years and refused to set a timeline for his long-awaited retirement.
This was not lost on veteran politician Lim Kit Siang, whose DAP is the oldest Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party in Sarawak.
“It is not that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is not aware of Sarawak Barisan Nasional’s Achilles heel but even he is impotent as far as getting Taib to step down as chief minister,” the DAP parliamentary leader said.
Najib clearly sees Taib as a liability in this election. Ironically, while he is expected to use today’s vote as a barometer for when to call federal polls, he has been forced to shelve his duties as prime minister to beef up BN’s campaign in Sarawak.
Camping out in the state, he has twice postponed new announcements for his much-hyped Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) that aims to double Malaysia’s per capita income by 2020, a key pillar of his strategy to hold onto Putrajaya.
In effect, the Umno president has put his own credibility and his 1 Malaysia concept on the line.
He has himself gone to meet church leaders to smooth out the Alkitab row, promising in his capacity as prime minister that no bibles would ever be seized by his administration.
As P. Ramakrishnan, president of civil rights group Aliran said yesterday, the federal government itself is campaigning in Sarawak.
Najib’s approval rating at the end of last year was still riding high at 69 per cent. The question is whether this can gloss over the anti-Taib sentiment on the ground.
If Taib falls — or even fails to retain two-thirds majority — then so too does Najib’s 1 Malaysia.
Any PR gains will likely see the Chinese backing the opposition while the Malay-Melanaus stick with BN.
Such a result would bring to the surface the kind of racial politics that already consumes the peninsula, a clear backward step for 1 Malaysia that Najib has promoted since taking office in 2009.
///Such a result would bring to the surface the kind of racial politics that already consumes the peninsula….///
It was UMNO/BN which started this kind of racial politics – don’t put the blame on DAP!
Mahathir has to ask himself who started the politics of hatred in Malaysia. He has selective memory but the people can’t be fooled.
I say its already time to congratulate the opposition particularly DAP. The myth that UMNO/BN cannot be toppled is BROKEN. Do the math. Its not even necessary to deny 2/3 majority to BN Sarawak. In the next GE, the message will be out that BN promises of development is NO GOOD because they may not even be the next govt to write the checks. Doubtful checks particularly in Sabah, will be devastating to BN. They don’t have the cash to pay for most thing upfront.
Higher internet penetration in Peninsula will mean people will be HIGHLY inspired. They have waited a long time to topple UMNO/BN. Even the detractors like Hindraf and others will mean little in a wave of pent-up accounting of UMNO/BN record. People want to open up the books even the UMNO/BN members.
So again, congratulation DAP.
Don’t under-estimate NR: unlike AAB, NR is ruthless n has no moral principle, anything n every dirty trick 2 win an election CAN b used
Just look at recent events n we will C many things hv been orchestrated n our $ used 2 jam up portals considered as threats 2 BN
Dis is a very dirty election, expect MORE dirty n WORSE tactics in the next GE
Good luck, Sarawak, b d shining beacon of UBAH in our dark national politics
DARE 2 UBAH – we await good news tonite, get rid of busuk ta hi n na jis
If Sabahan n Sarawakian had vote wisely much earlier or had enough determination to be independent, Sabah n Sarawak could be as rich as Brunei today or be 2 richest states in Malaysia !!
Maybe the Dayak (interior area) can wake up only after (if ever) their cousins in Kalimantan Barat (or Kal. Timur) or Kal.Tengah) had a higher living standard