OUTSPOKEN: Chief Minister Adenan Satem has every reason to be angry. If I were the chief minister I would be angry too if my prerogative to pick candidates is not being respected.
You see, there are leaders in Barisan Nasional (BN) who are dumb enough not to realise that they are infringing on the sole right of the state BN chairman to decide whom he decides to allow to contest on a BN ticket.
Adenan has been very clear on several matters. One, he said Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) will contest in 40 seats – 35 old ones and five new ones. The five new ones are Tellian, Kabong, Gedong, Stakan and Bukit Goram.
Two, that Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) will contest its traditional nine seats and two new ones, namely Samalajau and Murum.
But even after he said it more than once, even warned against quarrelling about these seats that have been allocated to the two parties, there are leaders who seem hard of hearing.
Adenan said 40 seats, no more no less, for PBB, but some PBB leaders were still thinking that Adenan didn’t mean what he said, so they were saying they should be given Mulu, Serembu and Bukit Semuja, even Krian.
Adenan said not to quarrel over seats that have been allocated, but people in Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) were still claiming Samalajau.
You see, Adenan has his own reasons why PBB is not taking Serembu, Bukit Semuja and Mulu even though statistics suggest the party has overriding membership in these seats. He also has reasons why he is not giving Samalajau to SPDP.
Of course, he is under no obligation to state his reasons, so you and I, we can guess all we want, but if we are wise to the BN concept of power sharing, all it requires of us is to accept the fact that we can’t have the cake and eat it too.
PBB as the big brother party must not be selfish.
He had said before that PBB could actually take nine – even 10 – of the 11 new seats but it had to think of its partners in BN, so it decided to take just five and share out the remaining six equally among the three other component parties.
Now, isn’t that clear enough? Why are there leaders out there who can’t seem to understand what Adenan is saying?
It is because of these people who aren’t listening that Adenan is angry. He is also angry because there were people in his party who went to the ground and declared some people as BN candidate.
This was happening in Marudi where Adenan merely said the incumbent Sylvester Entri had done well and looked to be BN’s most winnable candidate. That was before Dr Penguang Manggil came into the picture.
It is because of these people who aren’t listening that Adenan is angry. He is also angry because there were people in his party who went to the ground and declared some people as BN candidate.
This was happening in Marudi where Adenan merely said the incumbent Sylvester Entri had done well and looked to be BN’s most winnable candidate. That was before Dr Penguang Manggil came into the picture.
Today, the scenario has changed, and Adenan surely knows why Penguang is a far better candidate, just as why Henry Jinep is better than his elder brother William and Tasik Biru incumbent Peter Nansian, who has totally lost the support of all four component parties of BN.
Nansian must not be forced down the throats of all the four component parties of BN. If he is, it will be BN’s biggest shame and a mockery of the BN principle of consensus.
Adenan has yet to decide on Marudi. Someone else who had wasn’t Adenan, of course Adenan is angry.
And it was an angry Adenan who said: “Well, I will give the use of the ‘dacing’ logo to members of my team as mentioned by the Prime Minister (Najib Razak).
“Those who are against it, it is up to them. But they can’t use the ‘dacing’ (logo). They have to use their own symbol.”
So you BN people out there, time that you learn to listen to your chief and accept the fact that once he decides, you abide by his decision – PBB gets 35 plus five, and PRS nine plus two, meaning the remaining four are for SUPP and SPDP.
You may be somebody big in PBB, but you are not Adenan, so it is not for you to decide who will be BN candidates where candidacy is still contentious.
SUPP and SPDP need to look at their respective strength in the remaining four seats, namely Batu Kitang, Serembu, Bukit Semuja and Mulu, and ask to be allocated seats where you strongly feel you are able to delivery emphatically.
And Adenan was also quoted as saying: “I advise them (SUPP, UPP, SPDP and Teras) to compromise. Compromise means you won’t get everything you want. Otherwise, there is no meaning to compromise.”
That’s a fair statement too, but for the contending parties to come to a compromise, Adenan must show that he wants the best for BN, not for anybody in PBB and the BN-friendly parties.
And the best compromise, where BN and its principle will not be compromised and made a mockery of, is for all those branding themselves as BN friends to return to their old parties if they wish to continue their political struggle from within.
If they refuse to return, then they are the people who should be ready to face the BN’s ‘dacing’ onslaught.-THE ANT DAILY
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