QUICK TAKE: Chief Minister Adenan Satem will get the strong mandate he wants from Sarawakians but only if he heeds the one biggest taboo of all – don’t let Umno be seen to be involved in the coming state election.
Umno is a no-no to Sarawakians as much as all those opposition parties coming from Malaya are a no-no to the majority of Sarawakians seeking to regain their originals rights as per the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Be it the main Umno or Wanita Umno or Puteri Umno or Umno Youth, keep them out of the 11th state election because Sarawakians will not accept any form of Umno fighting alongside Adenan who has, on a number of occasions, appealed to be given the chance to rule this state for the next five years to do what Sarawakians can and must do as Sarawakians.
Whichever way one sees it, central to Adenan’s struggle this time is Sarawak for Sarawakians.
How many times has he said who know better how to rule this state than Sarawakians? Who know better what Sarawakians need than Sarawakians?
Adenan has repeated in front of Sarawakian audiences he will continue to negotiate for a higher O&G royalty.
He has also repeated a number of times that if he gets the right mandate this time, there are things he wants to do for Sarawakians before his new term is over – devolution of power so that services to the people will not find hurdles in federal bureaucracy, and autonomy in such areas as education which has suffered due to flip-flop Putrajaya policies and decisions.
For Adenan, a fight for Sarawakians by Sarawakians must, therefore, not involve Umno or he will only be giving his political opponents the ground they need to prove their accusation that he and his state BN coalition partners are but mere Umno stooges.
But an Umno stooge he surely isn’t, not when he dares to take a different stand from Umno on a number of issues like having English as another official language of the state, and recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) and calling Putrajaya ‘stupid’ for not doing the same.
Hardly a year in office, and despite having done things that Sarawakians have not seen since the formation of Malaysia, there are those who remain unconvinced that Adenan is here not to do Umno’s bidding.
Well, Adenan must not be perceived as carrying Umno. He must avoid being seen to be dependent on Umno.
Or rather, he should show his detractors that in Sarawak he is in total control, and total control also means he will win the 11th state election without Umno raising a finger.
If Adenan can do all that, DAP, PKR, Amanah and PAS will have to go into the 11th state election without their Malayan bosses; if they do, they will be accused of the very accusation they have been throwing at Adenan!
Adenan has said Umno will never be allowed in, so Umno Youth better stay out of the coming election if only to prove that Umno is not trying to show that it is the master party.
Yes, the Sarawak chapters of the Malayan parties will be contesting, and this election should tell us if these parties are out to win on the strength and reputation of their Malayan bosses.
In this election, it better be a contest among Sarawakians because Sarawakian voters will reject those who seek the involvement of Orang Malaya.
-The Ant Daily
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