SARAWAK FOCUS: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Dr James Masing foresees the Sarawak BN achieving its target of winning 70 seats in the coming state election if the component members do not backstab.
“Because if we do, the whole BN machinery will be messy and we will fail in our mission,” he was quoted as saying.
Can backstabbing be prevented?
Of course, and the person in the position to prevent it from happening is Chief Minister Adenan Satem, the state BN chairman.
While it is not possible for him to stop dissatisfied individuals from betraying BN and its candidates, Adenan can rein in the component parties by putting into play the full spectrum of the BN power-sharing concept.
We now know that Adenan has decided Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) will contest in 40 seats (35 traditional seats and five new ones) and PRS, 11 (nine traditional, two new ones).
He has also decided that the remaining four seats will be given, equally I suppose, to the two other BN components, Sarawak United people’s Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
If that (two seats each to SUPP and SPDP) is how it will be, Adenan can rest assured half of his problem has been solved; the other half is solving the SUPP-UPP (United People’s Party) and SPDP-Teras (Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak) impasse.
Now that’s what the scenario is now on the BN side – settled for PBB and PRS but anybody’s guess for SUPP and SPDP because Adenan, it seems, has none of the formula that his secretary-general Dr Stephen Rundi and several other lieutenants said he had.
Adenan is even wondering if he should be fielding direct candidates to solve the SUPP-UPP and SPDP-Teras standoff.
“It (fielding direct candidates) has been done before with (Puncak Borneo – formerly Mambong – MP) Dr James Dawos Mamit and (former Hulu Rajang MP) Billy Abit Joo.
“This is the matter being considered now as a way to resolve this (impasse),” Adenan was recently quoted as saying.
Outright I say, fielding direct candidates in old seats is a bad idea. And fielding recycled materials as direct candidates in old seats is even worst.
Imagine Wong Soon Koh being fielded as a BN direct candidate in Bawang Assan. If he wins, would he return to opposition UPP? Would Dr Jerip Susil? Would Johnical Rayong? Would Ranum Mina?
Would Sylvester Entri return to Teras? Would Rossey Yunos? Would Paulus Palu Gumbang? Would Peter Nansian?
Most of all, would Adenan then declare Teras and UPP as BN-friendly? And would he form a BN-plus government yet again?
In the first place, why must Nansian, for that matter, be chosen to contest in Tasik Biru over Henry Harry Jinep, who draws his support from all four BN component parties and village folks who have been filling up community halls and sun tents to welcome him and shake his hands?
Is it because Nansian commands the support of the pemanca, penghulu and ketua kaum (who have been very open and vocal about their support for his candidacy) but totally rejected by the local chapters of PBB, PRS, SUPP and SPDP?
As it is, Tasik Biru has turned out to be a very significant political watershed of BN unity in its ideal form, made possible by the “merger of minds and hearts”.
No other seats are seeing this political phenomenon where all the component parties are wholly agreed on who should be candidate!
The local chapters of PBB, PRS, SUPP and SPDP have made their choice – they want their own man, Henry, to contest Tasik Biru.
Members of the four component parties are found in all nooks and corners of the constituency and they are the people who have been lining up to greet Henry during his visits to the villages.
The local chapters of PBB, PRS, SUPP and SPDP and thousands of their respective members have all rejected Nansian, is that not enough to help Adenan decide who should contest Tasik Biru on the BN ticket?
It should be enough, and it is in the interest of BN that Adenan should listen to the BN component parties who speak for their registered members who number in the thousands.
If Adenan cares – I am sure he does – for his coalition, if he wants to win the targeted 70 seats, he must listen to the BN boys because these are the people who want the best for him and for BN.
On the other hand, Nansian and those others who call themselves BN-friendly want the best for themselves.
They want to be Adenan’s candidates without being BN members, how then can they contribute to the overall BN strength?
Who must Adenan listen to – the community leaders who plead for Nansian or the voice of unity of the BN component parties that says BN is best represented by a BN man?
UPP and Teras do not hold any answer to Adenan’s problem; they are THE problem that Adenan can do without.
If I were the chief minister, I would not look beyond BN to find the solution to the impasse. The answer cannot be found in parties outside the BN.-The Ant Daily
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