When a Win may not be a REAL Win

It was big time gambling in Sibu when BN throws their money around in trying to win votes or hearts, I am not too sure. But I am sure that BN (at time of writing) is about as desperate as ever to win Sibu for SUPP, not so much for the people of Sarawak. This is because SUPP is the pillar of the Chinese for BN in Sarawak, like what MCA is in West Malaysia.

BN has promised millions to the parliamentary constituency and the people of Sibu and cash were handed out like it had never been done before. Najib has made history in Sarawak to Taib's chagrin. One BN leader told me that the Najib government should come to their senses because from now onwards, all the other towns are expecting similar deals like that being rendered in Sibu and the Sibu folks. Anything less or short will see BN lose many seats in the next GE. Nice comment and holds water.

The result tomorrow would be interesting for us to analyze on the political stance of the Chinese voters in Sarawak as well as the sentiments of the people towards the popularity of the opposition in the state. Should BN win, then anything less than 2000 votes majority is nothing special, that will be indicative of the winds of change in Sarawak. If BN loses the seat, then Taib has to step aside and make way for someone more energetic and less corrupted.

Winning Elections isn't easy. It's always a GAMBLE. If you do it the wrong way, you may be digging your own grave.

BN's Old Tune Replayed in Sibu

You feel like vomiting listening to our BN political leaders defending their stance just because they want to win Sibu. They are throwing everything they have got to save SUPP from embarrassment. All of a sudden, Sibu is their pet topic. Of course, it’s all about promises, promises and more promises, the old outdated rhetoric replayed. When you hear the same tune over and over again, it makes you sick.

Are we going to be taken in by all these goodies that Najib’s government is promising to the Sibu people? To me, it’s just like telling a 7 year old to sing, dance and be merry because there are chocolates and toys waiting for him.

You can bet that internet savvy Foochows in their 20s will not be hoodwinked by BN’s sweet promises because the news today has no boundaries and the inquisitive mind can be smarter than any Datuk or BN professor out there appearing on tv as proxies of BN. The Sarawak Datuk appearing on TV1 tonight was to me, technically stupid and out of tempo when trying to defend BN achievements in rural Sarawak.

Time has changed and gone are the days when SUPP rules the Sarawak Chinese electorates, their “mafia” days and ways are a thing of the past, ineffective in today’s world.

The time for change may be getting nearer in Sarawak. The opposition DAP leader has mildly put it that the league will start with Sibu.

"Corruption" veiled - Is Sarawak excluded?

Sarawakians are not excluded from Corruption and Sarawakians are not stupid people to blindly follow bad governance. You will find many ordinary members in the BN skeptical of all the sweet talks thrown at them lately by their leaders.

It is often said that many simple minded folks in Sarawak would passively follow the government of the day because their "periuk Nasi" comes first. There is a lot of truth in this, a good portion of them don't belong to any political organization. They are the ordinary citizens, the majority are in the low income bracket.

Yet with others who are fence sitters but not fence sitters, "fear" engulfs them that they keep their mouths shut. It's simple as that, the fear of retribution if they go against the powerful system controlled by the BN government has forced them to "artificially" place allegiance to BN. This is dangerous and very much a probable "cause" of swing votes during elections.

Those in the opposition camp who have pressed for political change want "real changes", many know that merely to say change but with corruption still going on will not transform or change anything.The chanting of "Reformasi" from PKR means changes must be made to the system with a change in government so that justice and fairness will be enjoyed by all the people and NOT ONLY by a collective few or groups of the already rich lot.

The membership of the opposition in Sarawak comprising the Malays in PKR and PAS, the Chinese in DAP and Dayaks is growing by the day. They have quietly increased their numbers of late because Sarawakians are attracted to join them for a myriad of reasons. The main reasons are justice, equality and of course corruption in the BN administration. They are in effect unhappy over bad governance, of how the system is flouted by direct tendering, etc. They are fed-up with leaders who are corrupted and make bad decisions.

We can all be quite sure that Najib’s government is aware of the poor people’s plight especially in Sarawak and they have talked about changes too which shall be brought about under 1Malaysia. That sounds pretty convincing but on the ground, people in Sarawak know that CORRUPTION will be interestingly veiled by the system of his government.

The biggest known “scandal” completely veiled in front of our eyes was the 500 million Ringgit so called COMMISSION paid for the submarine deal. This file is closed, as we understand it.

Gambling in the Semua Boleh Land

People in Sarawak do gamble and they don’t care two hoots about the Malays gambling. You see Sarawak Malay punters freely in the 4-D and Toto joints, people just don’t care. Well, it’s bad habit to gamble, everyone knows that, even a seasoned gambler would agree to it. No Sarawakian will say it's good.

The fact that gambling is made legal in Sarawak or for that matter in Malaysia is somewhat a blessing for those who seek some excitement and thrill playing with their money. Losing their bets is secondary because one must have money in the first place to be able to bet. If the lure to money is what that spurs people to enjoy the game, it is greed of it that will destroy the beauty of a clean gamble.

The apple pie of gambling will soon be manifested in Malaysia when the World Cup starts to kick up dust and make the civil servants lag behind in their work. Interestingly, some have predicted that Najib’s KPI will drop these couple of months, starting with the Thomas Cup debut.

In Sarawak, the Ibans are accustomed to their "cock fight" bets. That is embedded in their culture, there is nothing you can do about it, except to rope them in when things go out of hand. The Sibu By Election will definitely see a lot of gambling especially amongst the Chinese groups, it's unstoppable. The police will be too busy anyway to snoop around on the bookies' backyard.

Malaysia is land of many contradictions, you can when you can’t and you can't but you can. Rightly too, we have 1Malaysia to support us with Gambling in the Semua Boleh land, a land where you can go breaking rules and get away with.

Najib's Sifu - Idris Jala

When you see things beyond the average intellect, it may get dangerously irrelevant to the common men in the street. I watched Idris Jala on tv3 last night. The guy has tremendous memory and possesses extraordinary skills in management. First, he’s a natural talker, second he smiles a lot, and third he has experience. Those are his qualities besides being a top scholar of his time.

He was asked about solving the Pudu Raya Bus terminal congestion in KL and he brilliantly gave some solid answers that would put Samy Vellu to shame. And I told myself that here was a humble Kelabit guy from Sarawak who had his days spent learning the skills from SHELL and using that same instrument to oversee a government machinery now. Ironically, where have all the Malay professors gone?

Idris spoke about Sarawak’s rural infrastructure which he agreed should be given due attention, only that he never uttered the word “neglected” which if he did, would see him sidelined by the cabinet. But surely, a brilliant guy like him knows deep down in his heart that our rural sector has indeed been neglected by the BN state government of Taib.

Idris praised the police force for a job well done basing his argument on crime statistics from the data collected over the last few months. His comparison on the rate of crime to that in the UK was not realistic and weak. We can't compare apples to rambutans. I thought he would at least talked about immigration and the “imported” crimes committed by foreigners in the country, which he didn’t.

I particularly liked his asking the civil service to run and run fast to catch up with time and the word "efficiency". That's good so as to wake up all the lazy bums in the service in Sarawak.

Let's not push it too hard Idris, lest you become a social outcast in Sarawak.

Becoming CM - He'd rather Self Destruct

Politics hit its lowest level yesterday in Sarawak when it was suggested that Alfred Jabu is the able man to become the next Ketua Menteri. His nemesis Dundang of SNAP supported the idea together with a few prominent Dayaks who gave their approval too.

The Iban Jabu isn’t happy at all. He has asked that such nonsense be stopped immediately. And according to Jabu himself, he just wanted to keep his role as team player. That was no excuse but to please his Boss. Surely we all know that Jabu will self destruct because he dare not lift any fingers at his boss, Taib. How could he offend the man he loved so much.

I thought for once that BN has run out of ideas to suggest old man Jabu to lead Sarawakians. It gives me the giggle.

SCORE = Patronage Politics

Will SCORE be underscored and bring more fortune to those who already display extreme wealth in Sarawak?

For some cynical reasons, people have labeled it Project Ketua Menteri. This statement cannot be wrong when a dictator is not a dictator. After all, the Ketua Menteri controls the State Government and almost all the major businesses in Sarawak or at least his family does.

What we know as the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy has been set to bring all the goodies to the people of Sarawak. That’s what the website says. While you may accept it positively as a step in the right direction which it must be otherwise it will make the government looks stupid, I take it with a pinch of salt.

Let’s focus on what we understand as “patronage politics”. It is when tenders will only be awarded to a selected few within one’s group. With SCORE, it has to be those who have already displayed extreme wealth in the BN group. This is to allow the flow of funds into the bureau to seal BN’s power in the state. Millions and millions of ringgit will then be embezzled legally. To achieve this, the whole system will be in “reverse gear”, that is to say, money will be the instrument to get things done. Everything will then have an “artificial” fee capped to it. Mismanagement sets in, the circle becomes vicious and corruption persists.

When the propagation of a capitalistic environment becomes wider, we shall get a situation where the selected few who controlled the market becoming extremely wealthier.

Some questions that need to be asked are: Will matters get worst in Sarawak? Will it only benefit the privileged few? Will it end up like the "AP" case that benefit only Bumi entrepreneurs? Will workers once again be grossly exploited, underpaid?

Sarawak smelled like Kasam Ikan - Sibu By Elections

This is politics. BN is a veteran and so are Taib Mahmud and his gang of elders comprising George Chan, Alfred Jabu , James Masing and William Mawan. They will do whatever it takes to win the Sibu by election. By hook or by crook, they must win this so called “challenge” by DAP and ironically Najib. Najib meant business and “no main main” attitude could be tolerated. Even by elections has a KPI.

Taib and his gang know that losing Sibu will be like an iron ball hitting their head. They would go all out to make sure the iron ball stuff would never materialized. They want to show Najib that they are still very much in control in Sarawak although Najib knows that many things in the land of the hornbills smelled like “kasam ikan”.

Voters are just as smart today, the Sibu ones comprising mainly of Foochows can get what they want if they play their cards right. And of course the Foochows are known for their smart ways. I am sure they have by now, planned to ask for the “sky” if they could have their wish. This is the time BN will whitewash everything and “turut saja”. Just give the Sibu people what they asked for. Losing to DAP in Sibu will be like a pancake thrown on George Chan’s face. He cannot afford to see his party lose.

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.