SARAWAK FOCUS: The split over the choice of Balai Ringin assemblyman Snowdan Lawan to defend the seat in the coming state election is so serious that it may jeopardize the chances of Barisan Nasional-Parti Rakyat Sarawak (BN-PRS) to retain the seat.
When the Balai Ringin Simunjan Pantu longhouse chiefs association (Basimpan) met last month, more than 70 tuai rumah (longhouse chiefs) representing about half of some 9,000 Balai Ringin voters expressed their loss of confidence in Snowdan as the candidate to represent Balai Ringin.
Snowdan was first elected in 2006, and re-elected in 2011.
In a statement issued to The Ant Daily, the newly elected Basimpan chairman Tuai Rumah Ajun anak Junau said that one reason for the loss of confidence was due to Snowdan’s support for Independent candidate Donald Lawan in the last parliamentary election.
Donald is Snowdan’s father.
“Snowdan went against the decision of the BN by supporting the independent candidate,” said Tuai Rumah Ajun.
“We unanimously reject his re-nomination and propose instead two persons namely lawyer Ignatius Melaka Nisau and retired Superintendent of Police Entusa Iman to the BN leadership to consider,” he said.
In the 2013 parliamentary election, Snowdan was found “guilty” by the party for supporting the independent candidate against the official BN-PRS candidate Masir Kujat in the Sri Aman parliamentary seat.
Donald, who was Masir’s director of election in the 2008 parliamentary election, had fallen out with Masir over allegations of corruption against the incumbent.
The issue was highlighted in Donald’s Iban language newspaper, The Bulletin Kenyalang, during the 2013 campaign.
In one Bulletin Kenyalang issue, Masir was described as “corrupted and under Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation” for allegedly abusing minor rural project funds.
Donald had also accused Masir of using his MRP funds to allegedly buy votes.
Masir who denied the allegations threatened to sue Donald and his paper.
Although Masir won the seat by securing 12,168 votes as against Lawan’s 3,867 votes, the damage inflicted by Snowdan and his father during the campaign had also irked thousands of Masir’s supporters who had promised to “punish” Snowdan in the 2016 state election.
At that time, a PRS leader and Ngemah State Assemblyman Alexander Vincent had called on the party leadership to expel Snowdan, who was the party’s deputy secretary general.
“We don’t want saboteurs in the party,” he was reported as saying.
Balai Ringin, Bukit Begunan and Simanggang form the Sri Aman parliamentary constituency.
As Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Masir’s support in Balai Ringin has increased tremendously.
Masir and Mong Dagang, Bukit Begunan assemblyman are said to be secretly behind the effort to nominate Ignatius Melaka and Entusa to replace Snowdan.
Another PRS leader Doris Brodie, who is also the Deputy Speaker of Dewan Negara, is also reported to be against Snowdan’s re-nomination.
In September last year, PRS president Dr James Masing announced that he had no problem with Snowdan’s candidacy.
Masing, who is State land development minister, told the voters in Balai Ringin: “From the party’s point of view, I have no problem for Snowdan to be retained in Balai Ringin.
“You must remember that even though I have announced it, it will be up to the chief minister and the prime minister to make the final decision,” he was quoted as saying.
Some PRS members also questioned Snowdan’s loyalty to the party as they recall that Snowdan was supportive of Larry Sng during the height of the PRS crisis from 2006 to 2009 when the party had two “presidents” and two “supreme councils”.
Sng was the “president” of one faction, while Masing was the “president” of the other group.
Snowdan only joined Masing’s group when Masing threatened to drop him from the list of candidates for the 2011 state election.
In the party election in 2013, Snowdan failed to get a seat in the 15-member supreme council.
Some saw this as “punishment” by the delegates after he made a “blunder” in supporting his father in the May 2013 parliamentary election.
Of all the 26 members who sought election to the supreme council, Snowdan received the least number of votes.
While some Balai Ringin voters have also accused Snowdan of “sabotaging” the party, there are others who are not happy with the incumbent’s “poor” track record - a trail of broken promises after he was elected in 2011 and his failure in looking after the constituents.
Adding to Snowdan’s woes are the police reports lodged against him in September last year over the proposed development projects worth RM400,000. Until today, the projects have not been implemented.
From the meeting of the longhouse chiefs, it is obvious that half of the PRS members in Balai Ringin have not forgotten and forgiven Snowdan.
“The wounds inflicted by him during the last parliamentary selection are bleeding again,” said a staunch supporter of Masir.
Masing and Chief Minister and State BN chairman Adenan Satem should listen to the grassroots in the constituency, he said.
“The message from the Tuai Rumah association to Masing and Adenan is very clear that they do not want Snowdan to be their next elected representative,” added the supporter, who declined to be named.-The Ant Daily
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