BN Drains in Sarawak

Look into any drains in Sarawak and you will see filth and the hap hazard manner that they are constructed, if at all they are made of concrete, they have been poorly constructed. Many are in a dilapidated state full of debris and glaringly neglected by local councils. Of course these councils are all run by BN appointed councillors, many of whom are "balls' polishers". Yes, funds are utilized, the budget is there but due to the hanky-panky culture of the system, projects implemented are no more than a mere fulfillment.

In Sarawak, many drains are actually ditches and trenches quickly dug out on the sides of roads and highways. During heavy downpours, motorists have to take extra care not to end up in those ditches. Moreover, they are the NO.1 areas for mosquito breeding when water clogged. Don’t blame the mosquitoes for the rampant spread of the H1N1 virus, blame the government. I may be generalizing here but such is the condition of the drains in the State, one cannot hide the fact no more. And for that matter, to complement what I have said here, you can ask any Sarawakian about the drainage system in our towns or 2 cities of Kuching and Miri, I bet you will get a not so good answer.

Drainage and sewers cannot be ruled out in any development infrastructure. The State government never cared too much about the bad effects of drainage if it is not done to plan. They have been busy planning, sometimes for the wrong thing. Or did they plan for the right thing where it is easier to “siphon” off the cash?

Fighting for your Rights - NCR Land

The NCR Land Issue in Sarawak will once again be in the limelight in Kuala Lumpur when Lawyer Baru Bian takes to the stage. My question is this - Why do the native people of Sarawak have to be burdened with this unnecessary process of fighting for what is actually theirs?

The following is a report from Malaysian Mirror:

KUALA LUMPUR - Well-known Sarawak lawyer Baru Bian will speak on the controversial Native Customery Rights (NCR) land issue in Sarawak this coming Saturday.

The talk, sponsored by the Human Rights Committee of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, will take place at its premise in Jalan Maharaja at 12 noon.

Baru has handled more than 100 NCR lawsuits against the Sarawak government over the past decade.

He is expected to provide an insider's view of the legal process surrounding the NCR land issue. In the past decade, Sarawak natives have accused the Sarawak state government of grabbing their land and not recognising their NCR land.

This has led to several confrontation between NCR owners and plantation operators. At present, more than one million hectares of plantation land is under NCR dispute.

Sibu here we GO

The By Elections in Hulu Selangor concluded with an expected result predicted by the BN camp. BN did not win convincingly and very much short of their focused 6,000 vote majority they believed they could garner. This was a seat BN had held for many years and this win is actually getting back what they thought must be theirs for keeps. They got it back and MIC is happy.

The question now is, will the win be of any impact to the upcoming Sibu By Election. It could because high morale can result in the BN work force giving it their best. Although the Sibu scenario is a whole lot different from that in Hulu Selangor, BN is expected to perform well and retain the seat. In Sarawak, many would agree that BN will find its way to win "by hook or by crook". GOD has always been watching how money politics have been brought into play in the rural areas. This is something that cannot be denied in Sarawak.

DAP is known for their unexpected moves and they could well pull a surprise if their ground work has been laid well. These are urban voters in Sibu made up of predominantly Chinese Foochow people who have in the last general election, voted for the credibility of Candidates rather than the Party.

I see it as a big tussle between a BN newcomer and a seasoned politician from DAP. BN’s strength, like that of Hulu Selangor’s, could well be the deciding factor that could tip the scale in their favour. I am sure, like a Bulldog, DAP will fight SUPP to the end.

Malay 1st, Malaysian 2nd - What is your opinion?

I am Muslim and I am an Iban. That doesn’t sound right to many who are non muslims. Many Iban Christians will condemn me. But what if I say I am a Malaysian, an Iban and a muslim. That sounds ok to many. So the word “Malaysian” is clearly a fundamental unifying factor. It is an identity which all Malaysians should be proud of. If really 1Malaysia is to make sense, it would also make real sense to call ourselves Malaysians first, then whatever as second and third.

For our Deputy Prime Minister, the respected Muhyiddin to say he’s Malay first and then Malaysian doesn’t jive with me certainly. That’s segregation politics, polarizing our sensitive racial ethnicity and confusing the minds of the layman. Has he helped to make us more patriotic as Malaysians? The answer is a big NO.

In Sarawak, things are not as bumpy because people here are laughing of this issue, they prefer to be known as Sarawakians first and then Malaysian. This also applies to the Chinese here. Many would prefer to be called a Sarawakian Chinese rather than a Malaysian Chinese. They really couldn’t give a damn to what DPM said.

What is your opinion? I have given mine.

Sarawak 's "Yes Men" in Parliament

What about this announcement on the revision in the maximum fine for traffic offences to punish us in Sarawak? It has been increased 3 times over from RM 300 to RM 1000 under a recent Bill passed by Parliament.

With all our Bumpy Roads around in Sarawak with their blatantly inadequate traffic signs, poor lighting, bad drainage and hap-hazard urban road system designed by corrupted councils, we are now subjected to the same law that our fellow West Malaysians will endure.

It is regrettable that our Sarawak BN Parliamentarians are sometimes forced into supporting Bills which may not be practicable to Sarawak. They are the "Yes Men" of Sarawak's politics. They support because they had to as one told me personally. We have no choice, according to him. This equates to the fact that they are being dictated by their UMNO masters, towing the line even when their conscience tells them it's wrong. When this is the case, Principles are immaterial, they are brushed aside and opinions become useless.

This was the very reason Zaid Ibrahim left UMNO to join PKR. He's a man of principles who refused to do what I called "political prostituting".

In the doldrums because People swallowed the BN bait

I travelled over the weekend talking to people in Sarawak. I kept my diary. I spoke to 10 people and 9 say BN will be shown the way out by the rakyat. I don’t know how to respond, I am surprised. Would I believe this? We really don’t know whether it will come through. But we do know that they were nearly shown the “Exit Door” during the last GE. MIC failed, Gerakan failed, MCA failed and UMNO had their biggest nightmare. They had been saved by the 2 backward states of Sabah and Sarawak. And UMNO, the controlling party and head of the government suddenly woke up to the fact that Sabah and Sarawak are their forte.

The most interesting issue is UMNO leaders only discovered that Sabah and Sarawak had all this while been left in the doldrums in terms of development. They assumed all had gone well, not until of late. This is the reason why Najib and his government are doing all it can now to close the wide gap between the “have” and “have not” in these 2 states. The poor in either Sabah or Sarawak are undoubtedly hardcore poor.

The reason for being so poor is simply that we have been dominated and neglected. We have been ruled by selfish BN leaders who raped the system for their own gains. We have for over 40 years been constantly indoctrinated with sweet talks under what they termed as “Politics of Development” by UMNO sanctioned leaders, a few generations of them.

People have swallowed the bait and support the State BN government without questioning any of their ulterior motives. BN was therefore able to win and kept on winning in Sarawak. As a result, only a handful would dare to speak out on things like corruption, the NCR land issue and misuse of funds by awarding contracts to proxies.

If the older generation of the natives are law abiding citizens who gave their support to BN to ensure BN victories all these years, the younger set are now realizing how backward Sabah and Sarawak really were in many areas of the economy and its infrastructure. Schools, clinics, roads and basic amenities in rural areas etc are way behind those in West Malaysia. Only a fool would say we are ahead.

Cash loaded BN YBs in Sarawak - The "How"?

I was in a coffee shop today and some of the things said were about the millions of ringgit being poured into Sarawak by the Federal government to upgrade everything from Roads to Suraus, School Toilets and Kampong Balai Raya. All of a sudden there is this surge in funds to Sarawak. What I hear is the PM isn’t happy about the slow “development” in the state. He smelled something fishy. On top of it, Statistics shows that Sarawak stands as the 4th poorest State.

With this sudden surge, there is enough proof and a reason to believe that the BN state government under Taib has either failed to honestly deliver what was meant for the rakyat or have “siphoned” the money intended for development through dubious means under the system. This includes misusing MRPs, abusing the Tendering system, awarding to proxies plus many other ugly manipulations not worth a mention.

So, if you want to know how and why BN YBs in Sarawak are exceptionally rich and loaded with cash, this is the reason, CORRUPTION.

SUPP walking on Thin Ice

Sarawak United Peoples’ Party or better known as SUPP, once a somewhat “communist” based party back in the 60s will be in hot soup soon when they come face to face with the DAP in down trodden Sibu. If they lose the by Election, that will be the end of SUPP. George Chan can then pack his bags and go down under to Australia where his PR status is kept sealed.

We don’t really get honest good leaders these days. The likes of Thaksins in Sarawak are many. Only with a slight twist, Thaksin is a known flamboyant billionaire while those around in the land of the hornbills are wily politicians who stash their cash in foreign banks.

Last night I spoke to a SUPP member and he says the party is now struggling to make everyone happy. The Chinese is known for their entrepreneurship, their business acumen and their “kangtao” attitude. That makes them successful businessmen and politicians. If they are happy when there is money, they can also abandon you when there is none. The SUPP leadership knows this and they will try at least to make all their office bearers happy, that is, if money is the issue.

SUPP had their biggest shock during the last state elections when they lost some of their ADUN seats to young DAPians. They lost simply because they could no longer hold the confidence of the Chinese voters. Their old strategy dating back to the 80s didn’t work no more. After 2 decades, they were outdated. They have recently come up with a new strategy with the hope that it would work.

Winning hearts and minds, especially the rakyat's "confidence" is no easy task. It will take a lot of hard work and ample cash for everyone, after all nothing is for free. What will SUPP do now to win back this confidence amongst the Chinese or will they be rejected altogether. Walking on thin ice is always dangerous.

Having to shit at 12 midnight

I am no reporter, I am no journalist, and I seek the truth to challenge BN in many quarters where they have failed to render the basic amenities to the rural rakyat. Where there are, they are poorly run. This will be a short post.

Today I received some news which to me is old information related to water shortage in rural colleges in Sarawak. This call came from Mukah. It is alarming how students in Sarawak have to suffer in their ill maintained hostels where they have to bath at 12 midnight. I was told that water would run into the taps only at this odd hour. This isn’t water rationing, it’s just poor service and inadequate service from the BN controlled government.

No excuse when we have plenty of rivers around in Sarawak. No excuse when we have been with the UMNO controlled government for over 40 years. Just no excuse!

Learning from Political Mistakes

Obsession has its bad effects in politics. Sarawakians are slowly but surely coming out of their cocoons to challenge the BN leadership. Lest you forget, you can be obsessed as an opposition to BN, this is when you start denouncing everything that BN does. You may start cursing and lose your rhythm. You lose focus, you become agitated, you start to slander.

Many have brought themselves to the threshold of hatred. By this, I mean they hate BN and will not subscribe to anything BN. When hate takes over our minds, we can even turn around and say white is black and black is white. When this happens, you find pleasure in the “blame game”, smashing BN to the ground at every opportunity and use whatever arsenal in the dictionary of politics to smear, smear and smear everything BN.

When we ponder deeply, there are certainly the good things that BN has done to the rakyat besides the many bad ones they are known for. Torching everything BN to the ground like what BN is doing to PKR and DAP is ugly and will not make the Opposition win Elections. Let’s learn from the mistakes made by BN.

Waiting for a Warlord's Inspiration - Sarawak GE

The Election fever is growing by the day in Sarawak. The popularity of BN amongst Chinese voters in the state will soon be tested in Sibu. The demise of MP Robert Lau who was a charismatic figure amongst the predominantly Foochow population calls for a thorough scrutiny by SUUP on its replacement candidate. The by election is expected to be a straight fight between BN’s SUPP and DAP.

Fever or no fever, the State Election in Sarawak will only be announced when Sarawak’s top Warlord by the name of Taib Mahmud is fully inspired. Not until he says so, things will remain rumored as only coffee shop talk.

If BN is ever ready as claimed by Taib and BN leaders in Sarawak, it looks like the Opposition is on a tactical limbo over the allocation of seats. This is because everyone wants to have a say. The foursome PAS, PKR, DAP and the limping SNAP led by autocratic Edwin Dundang are not happy with one another. Pas has said that they want all the Malay/Melanau majority areas which have left PKR in a fix. DAP seems unperturbed because they know they have the edge over PKR with Chinese urbanites. SNAP is of course focusing in on Dayak dominated areas.

It is hoped that this election will be the most interesting ever in Sarawak. Najib cannot take any risks to field the wrong candidates. The question is, will he let the Warlord decide? He may, he may not.

Crafty Moves by Politicians? - Think Harder

Come On, you must be kidding to even propose of taking the states of Sarawak and Sabah out of Malaysia. Although I have my reservations, this is just a dream of some unhappy politicians who want publicity. We have enough bumps as it is now to think wildly of this move which is like starting an “uprising” in Sarawak or Sabah. To rebel in such a way is not my cup of tea.

Instead of showing anger on the international stage and stooping down to the British government and parliamentarians for help and assistance, it would be a lot better to focus on what needs to be done and corrected in these two states. We can absolutely move forward in many areas both politically and economically, one major initiative is right in hand and that is, to deny the BN victories in the 2 states.

Of course many bumps have to be blasted out first to make us win. It needs planning and thoughts and a lot of it. Underrating BN is not wise, bulldozing by venting our anger and belittling individual politicians may not be effective anymore. RPK did just that and he ended up marooned and a “wanted” man. We must remember that BN has all the “powers” to squash you out of sight including using the ISA. That’s enough of my rhetoric.

What I wish to point out in this post is the way BN has exploited us, the rakyat for our money through the process of government. When camouflaged by what they called “revenue”, we are made to believe that the BN government is doing the right things. We then pay all our "dues" obediently, absorbing all the taxes, levies and what have you. So whilst you dig into your pockets and sometimes figuring how to make ends meet, BN political leaders may be celebrating with easy hard cash.

Most of our BN political leaders in Sarawak and Sabah have wriggled their way to be wealthy businessmen with vested interests in corporations and private companies. It would not be good to show up their names here, that's not my intention. The fact is we know they are generating income for themselves through the legal process, their undeclared assets run into millions of ringgit. We also know that the government's call for “privatization” would normally be grabbed up and run by elected representatives and their proxies. And indirectly, when appointed to sit in the board, they are the "untouchables". The pretext that "privatization" would increase efficiency so as to render the rakyat better service is just an excuse.

Now think about this: Both you and I will have paid a little for the parking tickets imposed on us every time we park our cars, we thought it is alright. But that small sum is actually a “squeeze” on our pockets. Similarly, the unrealistically high “tolls” in West Malaysia is always thought of as mere collection to upkeep the highways. It is not. The MIC President lost his seat because of it.

1Malaysia Political Bums in Sarawak

How on earth are you going to unite Malaysians under 1Malaysia when some BN quarters symbolize it as a BN entity? Yes, 1Malaysia has been politicized and circumcised by BN. You cannot expect a PAS or DAP member to put on the 1Malaysia badges with the BN logo in the background. Perhaps this has not caught anyone's attention. It doesn’t matter really because we know that 1Malaysia from the day it was launched, has been questioned and ridiculed by the opposition and not fully understood by the majority of Malaysians at large. The recent news that it is “copycat stuff” from Israel is very disturbing, certainly amongst hard core Muslims.

1Malaysia is not as bumpy in Sarawak as it is in West Malaysia. The bumps here are obnoxiously different. In fact we do not need to go heads over heels with 1Malaysia in Sarawak where people of all races have enjoyed their lives and carry on living in peace and tranquility over the decades ever since the days of the white Rajahs.

However, Sarawakians are in no way a bunch of crimpy Homo sapiens who accept things passively. There is truth in the older generation of the natives who are accustomed to the “adat” of respecting their “bosses” taught to them and inherited from the British colonial rule. This is good value appreciated by the young but it must not be taken as a rule of thumb that Sarawakians are born to be followers of their bosses. Let me put it right, we have no damn bosses.

When there are bumps in the system, it is only a natural instinct for people to protest and they can opt to do this in many ways. That accounts for all the barbarous "cow head" and "pig head" acts seen in West Malaysia.

The bumps in Sarawak are not religious in nature nor is it racial, let’s all be clear on that. Our bumps created by crafty BN political leaders are about the inadequate infrastructure, roads, clinics, schools etc etc after 40 years of plastered rule by UMNO dictators. To the natives, it's about the BN government abusing NCR land belonging to the Dayaks. But most importantly it’s about political power in the hands of a few BN political bums who are filthy rich and not wanting to hand over political leadership to the younger generation.

Lousy Roads in Sarawak

If you were to ask any Sarawakians who have been to KL about the condition of our Sarawak roads or its infrastructure as compared to those in West Malaysia, you will get a "negative" answer. They will agree that the West Malaysian roads in peninsular are a lot better than what we have here in Sarawak. Besides being well constructed with our oil money, their roads are well maintained too.

You would agree with me that a high percentage of our roads here in Sarawak are in a deplorable state. By all measure, many have definitely engineering flaws that resulted in bad construction. They have claimed hundreds of lives and some unfortunate victims could still be alive today had the roads been built well. Indeed some stretches are death traps with pot holes that have ruined tires, rims and taken lives.

Many are in a state of neglect, the Sibu ones being notoriously dangerous. I don't need to mention where they are, there is no need to because you have travelled on them and you know how bumpy the ride would be even for a short outing to Santubong from Kuching. In terms of infrastructure, our roads fall short of lighting, road signs and drainage. Look around you to believe me. Forget about proper rest stops along highways, ours here are run down shacks offering quick meals and filthy toilets.

Such is the condition of our roads in Sarawak, I would not want to delve on those unsealed ones like the infamous "Lapok Road" in Tinjar, Baram which the late Datuk Luhat Wan didn't do much about during his long tenure in office as a Deputy Federal Minister. The present Baram BN MP who is also enjoying the same status has promised many times over that something would be done to get this supposedly "trunk" road tar sealed. It has been 15 years now and nothing has materialized. And the road seems doomed.

With the Elections coming soon as predicted by some inner BN circles, our bumpy Sarawak roads will once again be a solid subject to talk about in derailing BN's popularity. Of course, PM Najib is focusing in on Sarawak which has over the past 40 years been raped and robbed of its wealth by the UMNO goons. Of late he has been scrambling for funds and pouring them into the State. Everyone in their right mind knows why he is doing this. He knows our roads are lousy, he's not a fool. We are his bastion.

Longhouses without the Basic Amenities

Sadness surrounded me during my travel by road recently to Northern Sarawak. I stopped at 4 longhouses along the way and 3 are without the basic amenities, clean water supply and electricity. I saw the children bathed in rivers of mud, they have to make do with dirty water from erosion as a result of logging activities. There was no other choice as rain water was reserved for drinking. I thought then that what was once rivers of fish are now rivers of hell.

To deduce that the authorities are not aware of the plight of these longhouses is simply nonsense. Our BN YBs aren't blind and deaf. I can only arrived at one conclusion and that is, they have failed to serve their constituency and looked after the interest of the rakyat. They have failed to bring the basic amenities to the longhouses. BN failed to fulfill their promises to these longhouse folks in Sarawak.

My bumpy ride was made worst on some stretches of what we called "trunk roads" that are poorly tar sealed, obviously the works of unscrupulous contractors and poor supervision by JKR. They deserved to be labelled "Jangan Kerja Rajin" in this instance.

Well over 40 years have passed since we joined up to form Malaysia and Sarawak is still on this bumpy ride to development. Yet BN leaders have got the cheek to call it "Politics of Development" whenever there is some announcement of a new project in the state. It is sad and misleading.

The NCR Land Issue

The political scenario in Sarawak looks good but is really not so good. Leaders from the BN have failed in many areas to fulfill the peoples' wishes. Sometimes their incompetency is glaring. Their words are often accepted as a norm. It seems no one dares to challenge the BN leaders because for many Sarawakians, their "rice bowl" comes first.

One topic that has always been of concern and has caught attention again when Elections are near is the NCR Land Issue. Such "Native Customary Rights" land in Sarawak may cover vast areas that run into hundreds of acres of virgin jungle fauna. They span throughout the breath of interior Sarawak where the natives comprising the predominantly Ibans, Bidayuhs, Kayans, Kenyahs and other indigenous groups reside.

The NCR land issues are a never ending feud between landowners and wealthy companies who have been given lucrative land leases by the government. How and who got what are never revealed and made transparent to the public, such information will remain somewhat "classified", the eventual real losers are the rakyat, the gainers are some wittingly self serving leaders of the BN government. Many of these companies, purportedly "contractors" have bulldozed everything in their path and their encroaching activities have caused annoyance amongst NCR landowners. Sometimes compensations are meted out and paid without the notice of the authorities but more often than not, landowners are taken for a ride. Many too ended up "swindled". Those who can afford it find their way to the courts and this protest action have increased the number of court cases in the state. NCR land matters pending hearings in the courts are all really uncalled for if the so called "NCR Land Task Force" had made a good job of handling things. But it has failed because of one Iban. For up teem years it was headed by DCM Alfred Jabu whom it was reported, resigned recently to make way for Dr.James Masing who is the land Development Minister. What Masing will do is left to be seen. He's expected to perform and perform ceremoniously well if Najib's KPI is to be of any good. Or will he, like his predecessor be cowed into submission by the works of another man?

The irony of it all is that Land matters are under the care of the Chief Minister of Sarawak and he does what he pleases when he pleases.