SARAWAK LIVE: Putrajaya

A likely scenario if Pakatan takes over Putrajaya

OPINION: Many still have the peculiar notion that whatever happens in Putrajaya is not the concern of the people of Sarawak. Putrajaya is just a Malaya thing, some like to think; Sarawak can steer its own political destiny towards the safe ocean, they argue.

The political reality is that whatever happens in Putrajaya will have a domino effect on the political stability of the two eastern Malaysian states. If by chance Pakatan Harapan (PH) takes over Putrajaya, BN will not be able to stay on as an opposition coalition. It will disintegrate like Humpty Dumpty and all the king's men and horses will not be able to put BN back again.

General Election is due in 2018 and Sarawak BN certainly has a lot to think and worry about. From the country's current political developments, there is a fair chance the opposition might pull through in GE14.

Under such a scenario, PKR would be the dominant party in PH and naturally, the party's supremo who is currently languishing in jail would be pardoned and set free, and then take the podium to be the most powerful man in the country.

Well, should that really happen, Sarawak BN will sound like a broken cord and it will disintegrate as well. All the state parties will then try to align themselves with PH to get a slice of the pie.

After all, Sarawak could not afford to be in the opposition lest the state's development would be further pushed back by another twenty years.

With 40 seats under its belt, PBB will remain the state's dominant party and the last bastion of Sarawak political supremacy. It will then bargain with Putrajaya, not with Ah Jib Kor, but Ah Hua Kor, for all the good things that the people of Sarawak need.

Adenan will probably remain the chief minister, with Baru Bian and Chong Chieng Jen as his deputies in the new PH coalition. But life for Adenan won't be a bed of roses thereafter.

Meanwhile, PKR and DAP will continue to exert their influence in the state. By now the state's rural population will learn to tune on to a new government, a new hope for this beloved land called Sarawak.

Orwell's 1984 might be brought back to life. Ah Hua will be flying into the state from time to time, not only to let out his political rhetoric but with bags full of money as well, looking for frogs, especially Bumiputra ones.

At the end of the day, PBB might find its influence deteriorating and its pie of the cake diminishing. Minnow parties which fail to get a slice of the pie will now try to recoup themselves and form an opposition front, probably Harapan Sarawak to sow their seeds of disgruntlement.

Well, should the opposition's dream come true, Sarawakians would definitely be in for a completely different political landscape.

And whether Adenan could finish his five-year term as chief minister would hinge on two factors: First, what kind of Sarawak chief minister would Putrajaya want? Second, how submissive would PBB be towards Putrajaya?-The Ant Daily

Move to Sarawak to escape the tyranny of Putrajaya

COMMENT: There was a time when Malaysia was known as a nation which had an unquestionable sense of unity and harmony among its people, an outcome of a bloodless progression from her independence to economic advancement.

What was unquestionable then is now being questioned. Why? Just think of the malaise caused by political affiliations, greed for power, disillusionment of racial inequality, racial tension and discrimination. The list goes on.

How often do we hear this: “The country has gone to the dogs.’

It’s with deep distress that many feel that our past efforts and those of the generations before us have been futile in achieving an exemplary multi-racial nation with tolerance and harmony as its hallmarks.

The examples of these were almost endless but day by day, such achievements seem to be forgotten and it may seem these achievements’ might never be seen and heard of again.

Is there hope yet for our beloved nation? The answer is yes, as the future stands as an effect of every decision of its makers made or applied today.

As 2015 comes to a close, former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim makes no wish to celebrate or make any life-changing resolution, except to tell a story about how wonderful Sarawak is.

“That sense of Malaysia is retained in daily life Sarawak. I would say that Sarawak is the place to be in the future when Peninsular Malaysia burns through its own folly

“If anyone wanted to escape the tyranny of Putrajaya, moving to Sarawak would be a walk in the park by comparison,” he said.

In his latest posting on his blog, Zaidgeist, he said he sees similarity between Syria and Malaya. Syria is in the throes of a civil war that has taken the lives of more than 200,000 people.

The feuding parties, the Sunnis and the Shiites, just don’t know when to stop and seem to hate each other more every day. They call in allies, leading to a massive escalation of conflict that could bring Middle Eastern countries, including Turkey, into full-scale war.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have crossed the desert and the seas, suffering the loss of their loved ones in the process - all to escape tyranny and violence.

“I feel it’s prudent for us to stay away from Peninsular Malays who are always looking for a fight. They want to fight Christians, liberals and those selling smart phones. Perkasa wants the group of pensioners who call themselves G25 to be classified as “deviants”.

“Sarawak will provide some kind of protection from the madness found in the Peninsula.

“In Sarawak, Malaysians will be quite safe from racist thugs whose idea of “jihad” is to fight over shopping malls and enforce khalwat laws.

“In short, Sarawakian leaders can provide us with some relief from the toxic and deleterious politics of Putrajaya,” Zaid stressed.

People emigrate when situations become unbearable. They do it because they want to give a new and better life to their children and grandchildren.

The worst that can happen to any family is when a country breaks up and violence rears its head; when everything that constitutes law and order is dictated by one man.

Zaid said that “Sarawak is potentially the best place to be if one wants to escape the misfortune that will sweep Peninsular Malaysia in the years to come. The school system and even public administration will be better with the use of English — when your English is good, you tend to know more about the world.”

“The Islamisation of the state will be impossible because Umno is not in play there, and Malays in Sarawak will be safe without Umno.

“The current chief minister is a practical man who is concerned about poverty and who has made some sensible decisions for the people. Only recently (on Dec 21), he challenged the media to help expose corruption and injustice in society.

“I know its election period but you will never hear that kind of thing from Putrajaya. In Putrajaya they talk about race, religion, conspiracies, ‘enemies from within’ and nothing else.

“In Peninsular Malaysia, we can all hope and wish that things were different, but nothing will be the same again” he lamented.

He said that Malaysians can wish that Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) stays away from us but we are breeding them by providing the same philosophy in our schools and religious institutions that the madmen in Syria do.

“Our political leaders and highly-paid preachers sound like Taliban leaders and the self-styled ISIS “caliph” Abu Bakar Al Bagdadi, so how can we expect a different outcome?”

He said that it would only be hope, in the New Year, to see Ali Tinju not hogging the headlines and that the recent fight in Kota Raya was not a prelude to something more serious.

“We can pray that Federal Court judges become fearless and independent; the police become a professional law enforcement agency; the Resolution of the European Parliament with respect to 1MDB and human rights abuses in Malaysia, amongst other things; will be taken seriously by Putrajaya and that politicians will take heed of what world leaders think.”

But seriously, no such thing will happen, Zaid added as a matter-of-fact.-The Ant Daily

CM: Putrajaya’s UEC stand ‘stupid’

Federal govt’s refusal to recognise the certificate will cause more brain drain, cautions Adenan

KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem is baffled why the federal government is unwilling to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

He said he could not understand why the federal government chose this stand when private universities in many countries recognise this certificate by students from Chinese Independent Schools.

“We (Malaysia) are the only place that does not recognise the UEC. What a waste. In the end, they (UEC holders) will be pinched by other countries. They will work overseas, and we will lose our talents,” he said at Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC)’s Integrity Day 2015 here yesterday.

“I don’t care what the federal government does. I recognise them (UEC) in Sarawak, and I’m prepared to stand up for it.”

The state government recognised the UEC recently. Following the recognition, UEC holders can now apply for state government jobs, apply for Yayasan Sarawak loans or scholarships, and may even be able to study in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) soon.

“You allow foreigners to study here because Malaysia wants to be an education hub, but why don’t you allow UEC holders (to study in local public university)? That is stupid!”

Adenan pointed out that many Bumiputera parents were sending their children to Chinese schools. In some of these schools, about 90 per cent of the students are Bumiputeras.

“So, how can we deny these people the opportunity?”

Besides recognising the UEC, he said he had also helped fund Chinese independent schools by giving them a total of RM12 million since becoming chief minister on Feb 28 last year.

He added he might contribute more in the future.

“Why not? They are a service to education in this country.”

On the state’s emphasis on English language proficiency, he said the language was no longer the sole domain of the Anglo-Saxon people.

“Some people said this is the language of the colony, or British imperialist. Yes, it is, but it is no longer the language of the Anglo-Saxon people.

“It is an international language of science and technology, literature, and communications.

“Don’t shut yourself off from the rest of the world. You’re not on the moon. You’re here on planet Earth.”

By giving due emphasis to English, the state was in no way trying to put down Bahasa Malaysia, he said.

“We can raise both of them (English and Bahasa Malaysia) at the same time. It is not difficult to be bi-lingual or tri-lingual.”

On ‘hudud’, he said the government would not implement this Islamic law in Sarawak.

“It is not that I don’t love Islam. As a Muslim, I support it, but it is not realistic. The Muslim population in the state is only about one quarter of the total population.

“It is up to the state governments of Kelantan and Terengganu to implement hudud because the Muslim population there is about 95 per cent.”

On the abolition of tolls in Sarawak, he said currently, there was no more toll for those using Lanang Bridge and Asean Bridge.

“But there is one more left (Tun Salahuddin Bridge in Kuching) that is still very stubborn. We will see what happens at the end of the year. I may have good news for all of you.”

On another matter, Adenan said two years in office was not enough and that was why he had asked the people to give him another five years in the coming state election.

“After that, I don’t want to be the chief minister anymore. I’m now 71 years old, and in five years time, God willing, I will be 76 years old. I won’t be strong anymore.”

He said he was not crazy about position or ranking.

“What other positions do I need? I have been a federal minister and now the chief minister. That is enough.

“If I want to be the governor, the seat is occupied. So, (just) give me the chance to run the state for another five years.”

Among those present at the event were SEDC chairman Datuk Talib Zulipilip, Yayasan 1Malaysia chairman Prof Dr Chandra Muzaffar, Assistant Minister of Industrial Estate Development Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie, and SEDC general manager Soedirman Aini.-Borneo Post