Archive for category Elections
416: Sarawak, silent no more
By Adrian Chew
APRIL 15 — “Ladies and gentlemen, I am now locked up in a handcuff that has taken a British mechanic five years to make. I do not know whether I am going to get out of it or not, but I can assure you I am going to do my best.” — Harry Houdini, London Hippodrome, St Patrick’s Day, 1904.
There’s something heavy in the air in the hornbill state.
Take a walk in any of the cities and towns and you’ll feel that undeniable sense of unity and common purpose.
Thousands upon thousands throng political ceramahs every night. Our placid roads turn into long crawling lines of red brake lights. Normally frugal womenfolk readily take out RM10 notes from their purses to insert into donation boxes. Heavy rains don’t deter thousands from coming and staying.
Sit in any coffee shop during the day and you’ll notice everyone’s an overnight political commentator and connoisseur of oratory. Listen carefully and you’ll hear the same gripes repeated at every table.
Years of pent-up anger and frustration are coming to a boil. People come to hear all their dissatisfaction with the present government finally verbalised. You’ll empathise because as much as these are our problems, you’ll see that they’re also yours. Read the rest of this entry »
Postal votes which are never posted
By Ivy Kwek
APRIL 22 — Having acted as a coordinator for polling and counting agents for the Opposition campaign in the recently concluded Sarawak state election has made me more confused about the rationale of the electoral system in Malaysia, in particular with regard to postal voting.
Under Malaysian election laws, postal voting is mainly allowed for police personnel, members of the armed forces and Election Commission workers who are on duty on polling day. Six days before polling day, postal votes will be issued through a procedure which can be witnessed by agents from all contesting parties. The ballot papers are inserted into envelopes with an acknowledgment form attached to be ‘posted’ to the voters concerned. (*Source: Brian Moh/The Star)
Don’t be fooled by the name, though. In actual fact, only a very small number of overseas votes are sent by post. The postal votes for police personnel and members of the armed forces are dispatched by police and military officials respectively to designated police stations and army camps, whereas Election Commission workers are required to collect their own postal votes from the issuing centre.
Upon arrival at the issuing centre, the EC workers have a choice of either voting on-the-spot (a polling station a la the normal voting procedure will be set up for them), or to take the ballot papers back and return them later. The postal voting station will be open for six days until polling day.
Questions which immediately arise are: if the EC workers can come in person to collect their postal votes, why can’t they just vote on-the-spot under the normal voting procedure? Why the additional choice of issuing ballot papers in envelopes which involves more steps and makes the system more prone to abuse? Why should the EC workers be allowed to bring the ballot papers back while ordinary voters do not enjoy this privilege? Why do they need six days to return the ballot papers? Is it to wait for God’s vision of who to vote for? Read the rest of this entry »
Did you hear about the Bidayuh who voted for DAP?
By June Rubis
April 22, 2011
We were like a bad bar joke: two Bidayuhs, a Lun Bawang, an Iban, and two Malays walk into a DAP ceramah in Kuching. The crowd is mostly Chinese, and the speeches so far are all in Mandarin.
“I don’t understand what they are saying,” I complain to my fellow Bidayuh.
“Neither do we, and that is why we drink,” he replies, handing me a can of beer.
The next day is Election Day for Sarawak, and we, the motley crew representing the urban non-Chinese, cast our votes for DAP.
Times have changed for urban Sarawakians who all this while have embraced DAP as a home-grown party despite it having its origins in West Malaysia. We have seen the party struggle to grab a foothold in the state political arena for many decades.
It may be a Chinese-based party but for many of us urban voters, it represents the best possible choice for change of a state governance that we have grown weary of. Plus, you have to admit, their mascot is very cun.
Unsurprisingly, DAP has done very well in the urban areas (and 30,000 Ubah plush toys have sold out in less than two weeks), and soon everyone’s jumping on the bandwagon about how the Sarawak Chinese have rejected Barisan Nasional. Read the rest of this entry »
Challenges for BN, Pakatan after the S’wak polls
By Ong Kian Ming
Apr 22, 11
In Part 1 of my analysis on the Sarawak elections, I explained the opposition’s failure to deny the BN a two-thirds majority in terms of the insufficient and unevenly distributed non-Muslim bumiputera (NMB) vote swing against the BN.
The complexity of the changes in the level of BN support in the NMB-majority seats, and to a lesser degree, the Malay/Melanau-majority seats, were also illustrated and explained.
Here, in Part 2 of my analysis, I put forth some of the implications and challenges for each of the major parties within the BN in Sarawak as well as the opposition in light of the election results.
What will Taib do now?
The biggest campaign issue during this state election was the length of time Abdul Taib Mahmud had been in power and when he would step down as chief minister. After the election, this issue remains unresolved.
The importance of Taib’s post-election plans as a political issue occupies an even greater prominence because he is at once the BN’s as well as the opposition’s greatest asset and liability in Sarawak. Read the rest of this entry »
On suggestion of possible DAP-SNAP merger (2)
Three days ago, I had said:
“In the 13th national general elections, we should avoid any multi-cornered contests which can only benefit the Barisan Nasional and for this reason, I would even suggest that DAP and SNAP should seriously consider a merger of the two political parties to accelerate Iban/Dayak political awakening following the 416 Sarawak general elections.”
There have been different responses, both pro and con, to the suggestion that DAP and SNAP seriously consider a merger of the two parties, which are beneficial references and guides to political workers in Sarawak and Malaysia.
Veteran journalist Terence Netto described the idea of a merger between DAP and Snap as “one of the more stimulating propositions to emerge in recent times”.
There are also critics who oppose the idea painting its prospects in the most pessimistic terms. Read the rest of this entry »
After Sarawak setback, what next for BN?
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, Sarawak on Monday, 18 April 2011
The Malaysian Insider
April 18, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — Barisan Nasional (BN) lost significant ground in its stronghold of Sarawak during Saturday’s state assembly election, setting the stage for a shift in government and economic policy as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak works to regain support.
The government recorded its worst performance in 24 years in the poll in a result analysts say reflects the mood across the country, which could prompt Najib to switch tack in his plan to recapture the ethnic minority vote and restructure the economy to catch up with Asian neighbours. Read the rest of this entry »
Poll results blow for PM, say analysts
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, Sarawak on Monday, 18 April 2011
M Jegathesan
Apr 18, 11
Malaysiakini
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is unlikely to call snap elections after a bruising state poll in which his ruling coalition lost ground to the opposition in a traditional stronghold, analysts said.
The BN coalition held onto its crucial two-thirds majority after Saturday’s vote in Sarawak but the opposition had its best result for nearly a quarter century in the resource-rich state on Borneo island.
The vote was seen as an important gauge of popularity for Najib, who has dished out money for rural development.
Some observers said it was the most crucial test for the BN since the 2008 general elections when the opposition seized a third of parliamentary seats and threatened the BN’s half-century grip on power. Read the rest of this entry »
PM seen stalling on reform after disappointing vote
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Sarawak on Monday, 18 April 2011
Razak Ahmad
Malaysiakini
Apr 17, 11
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will likely put key economic reforms on ice as he tries to rebuild voter support after his ruling coalition recorded its worst performance in 24 years in a local election in a key stronghold.
Bets are largely off for a snap general election to take place this year, with Najib expected to rethink his strategy of promoting inclusive growth in the Muslim-majority multi-cultural nation to win back the minority vote, analysts said.
In Saturday’s state poll, Najib’s ruling National Front (BN) retained control of its stronghold Sarawak, which accounts for a fifth of its parliamentary seats, but the opposition more than doubled its seat tally as ethnic Chinese mostly voted against the government.
Structural economic changes such as further scaling back fuel subsidies, introducing a goods and services tax and reforming a decades-old race-based policy would be relegated in Najib’s list of priorities for now, analysts said.
“After the outcome in Sarawak, Najib will need a general election mandate before making any big moves,” said Ibrahim Suffian (right), director at the independent opinion polling firm Merdeka Center. Read the rest of this entry »
BN retains two-thirds majority but Sarawak’s fixed deposit shattered
By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2011
KUCHING, April 16 — The Barisan Nasional (BN) has managed to keep its two-thirds legislative majority in Sarawak but today’s results have shattered the coalition’s invincibility and the notion of a fixed deposit in future elections.
The DAP doubled its presence to 12 and PKR tripled its representation although the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lynchpin had contested in 49 seats. PAS lost in all five seats it contested while Independent George Lagong took one seat.
The number of state seats to the Opposition pact will spell danger for BN as it could help them win more parliamentary seats when the general election is called by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. PR now has 75 MPs but the Sarawak win could translate into more in the future. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP tells BN Sarawak no longer fixed deposit
by Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2011
KUCHING, April 16 — Flushed with its historic 12-seat victory in Malaysia’s biggest state tonight, the DAP has declared boldly that Sarawak is no longer the ruling Barisan Nasional’s (BN) fixed deposit as the prime minister mulls nationwide polls ahead of its 2013 expiry.
Despite failing to block the BN from winning back its traditional two-thirds control in the oil-rich state, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) 16-seat haul in the 71-seat state legislative assembly has effectively denied Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak a much needed referendum to confidently call for the 13th general elections this year.
The party adviser and parliamentary chief, Lim Kit Siang, remarked that PR’s win marks the biggest defeat faced by the BN’s Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud in his 30-year career as Sarawak chief minister, cementing the widely-held view that he is a liability to the ruling coalition at the federal level.
“This is the biggest setback for the Barisan Nasional. Sarawak is no longer the fixed deposit for the Barisan Nasional,” Lim senior told a news conference here tonight. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia BN will keep Sarawak by a hair’s breadth, say analysts
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2011
KUCHING, April 16 — The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) will retain Sarawak today but will end the race with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) dangerously close at its heels, say analysts.
Their polls projections, which were cautious at first, have now grown significantly optimistic for the opposition force, which is contesting in its first-ever state election under the PR umbrella.
Three analysts told The Malaysian Insider yesterday that BN was likely en route to yet another electoral victory in the hornbill state but the contest for two-thirds majority was too close to call.
Such a prediction would have been laughed off at campaign kick-off last week but consistent reports of massive rally turnouts and talk of rising anger against the state’s powerful Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud have now drawn a question mark over BN’s ability to maintain its near-dominance in the 71-seat state assembly. Read the rest of this entry »
Sarawakians! Give yourselves a chance. Free yourselves from 30 years of misery!
by Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 15, 2011
APRIL 15 — For once, the people of Sarawak must do themselves a favour. Give yourselves a chance. Not give others a chance. They have had 30 years. You only need this one chance. This is your hour. Let your progeny say in future, this was your finest hour.
This is your chance to regain your dignity and pride as a decent human being. Give yourselves the chance to determine your own destiny. Or, at the very least, show to those in power that you matter. There is nothing to fear except fear itself.
Show those in power they can’t scare you with the presence of coercive instruments of power. The police and the army guarding your longhouses are there protecting you. Those Rela people out there are only there for a brief time. What’s left is how you determined your life.
Throw out corruption. Throw out incompetence. Throw out a lifetime of neglect. Reject the bullies.
Give your children and grandchildren the chance. Say it’s enough. You gave Taib Mahmud 30 years of chance. He has taken everything. He has taken the most precious thing from you — your sense of self-worth. Will the Dayaks continue to be complicit in the charade of showing they are only good at performing the ngajat dance and, in that process, be regarded as nothing more than objects of cultural curiosity? Read the rest of this entry »
Miracle if opposition forms simple govt
Joe Fernandez
Free Malaysia Today
April 16, 2011
The bottomline is that it must be about change and reform in the politics of the state.
Unless a miracle happens today at the polling booths, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) has virtually sown up this state election with at least 30 seats “in the bag” even before polling begins. This figure, less than the magical but easily obtainable majority of 36 seats for BN in the State Legislaive Assembly, is based on reading the harsh realities on the ground and comparisons with the line-up of candidates in the 71 seats at stake.
The opposition is “assured” so far of 16 seats, that is, 14 to DAP – Bukit Kota against Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) being its “sole” remaining battle – and two PKR seats, namely Batu Lintang wrested from the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Kerian from the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).
The Chinese and urban community in Sarawak continues to form a solid vote bank against the alleged abuses and excesses of the Taib regime. Much of these votes are unlikely to budge despite a mixture of a few carrots and mostly sticks from SUPP, Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Read the rest of this entry »
Just a matter of Taib for Sarawak polls
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Sarawak on Saturday, 16 April 2011
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2011
The election is a referendum on Taib’s 30-year rule. — File picANALYSIS, April 16 — Up to a million Sarawakians go to the polls today in what has become a referendum on Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s 30 years as chief minister of Malaysia’s largest state.
As the country’s longest-serving head of government, the 74-year-old has been accused of being a corrupt nepotist and lauded for developing a state once covered with the world’s oldest rainforest.
Results from what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called the stiffest contest in Sarawak’s history will tell us which narrative the Sarawak public really believes.
Seemingly, every issue — whether land grabs or corruption — that has been played up by the opposition over the 10-day campaign finds its final source in the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president. Read the rest of this entry »
Deny BN 2/3 majority in Sarawak polls to send powerful message to all Sarawakians and Malaysians – “Tomorrow can be better!”
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Elections, Najib Razak, Sarawak on Friday, 15 April 2011
Sarawak general elections eve of Polling Day message
Tomorrow is the polling day for the 10th Sarawak state general elections – the most important Sarawak general elections in 48 years since 1963.
It is also the first time that a state general elections will have a powerful, immediate and direct impact on national politics and policies – thanks to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who “closed down” Putrajaya for six days and directed the entire Cabinet to campaign in Sarawak!
As a result, Najib has added a new dimension to the April 16 polls – giving Sarawakians the unprecedented opportunity to pass verdict not only on the performance and record of the Chief Minister and Sarawak Barisan Nasional but also on the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional Malaysia-wide.l
Sarawak voters tomorrow have a double-barrelled challenge – at minimum to deny the Barisan Nasional two-thirds majority in the Sarawak State Assembly majority to send two clear and unmistakable messages, viz:
• firstly to Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud that he should step down as Chief Minister not “in a few years time” but by tomorrow itself; and
• secondly to Najib that his signature policies of 1Malaysia, Government Transformation Programme and New Economic Model have failed to pass the test as they are just empty slogans bereft of real substance of reforms.
“Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely” – Taib gives another illustration with entry ban of Bersih2 Chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Elections, Human Rights, Najib Razak, Sarawak on Friday, 15 April 2011
“Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.” Sarawak’s 30-year Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has this morning given another illustration to prove the truism of this famous aphorism by British historian Lord Acton.
Bersih2 Chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan was barred from entering Sarawak when she flew into Kuching from Subang in Firefly flight at 9 am and was forcibly repatriated to Kuala Lumpur by 10.40 am MAS flight as she is on Taib’s blacklist.
What has Taib to fear from Ambiga and Bersih2 when all she and Bersih2 wanted was to monitor the 10th Sarawak state general elections to ensure that the polls tomorrow are fair, free and clean.
Is Taib preparing for the dirtiest Sarawak state general elections tomorrow so that it will be the most fraudulent in the nation’s history to allow Taib to subvert, impede and defeat the greatest political awakening of Sarawakians of all ethnic groups since the formation of Malaysia in 1963 and in their demand for change? Read the rest of this entry »
Will Mahathir be proven right that Taib could be another Wan Mohtar losing power in Sarawak because he refuses to step down after 30 years as Chief Minister?
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Sarawak on Thursday, 14 April 2011
Can former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad be proven right when he cryptically advised Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud to “learn from history” in deciding when to step down, citing the case of “one MB who insisted he should continue, and lost the whole state”?
Mahathir was of course referring to the case of Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar Ahmad who was Mentri Besar of Terengganu for 25 years from 1974 to 1999 and was ignominiously evicted from office when Barisan Nasional suffered an electoral rout of 4 – 28 state assembly seats to PAS in the 1999 general elections.
Has Taib overstayed as Sarawak Chief Minister marking his 30th anniversary in office this year?
There can be no doubt that the question of getting Taib to step down as Chief Minister is the single most potent weapon and burning issue against the Barisan Nasional in the 10th Sarawak state general elections, uniting Sarawakians regardless of race or religion throughout the state not because of Taib’s age, the length of his tenure as Chief Minister but because of the lack of accountability, transparency and good governance under Taib’s Chief Ministership illustrated by the mountain of allegations on abuses of power and rampant corruption under his rule which he has not been able to rebut. Read the rest of this entry »
Sarawak Elections 2011 – Change or transformation?
Dawn of a new Sarawak for all
Come April 16,2011 our fellow Malaysians in Sarawak will go to the ballots to choose their state government for the next five years. This tenth state election is an important one for both BN and PR as the results may determine their fate at the next general elections predicted to be held soon. It is also of utmost importance to the people of Sarawak as their destiny would be decided on that day.It is also an important election for the rest of us as the results of this election will greatly determine the trend in the whole country in the next general elections.
The exceptionally huge crowds at the ceramah of opposition PR came as a great surprise to all. Even the opposition leaders who were pleasantly surprised were shocked at the huge turn outs. That gave them a great moral booster which was badly needed after successive losses in several by-elections lately.
On the other hand the BN leaders too were taken by surprise that the state which used to be referred as the safe ‘fixed deposit’ for them for over 30 years is suddenly changing. It is evident from the response of the people to the campaign so far that they want change. Large crowds at election ceramah may not be an accurate reflection of wins as many a time such massive response does not necessarily translate into votes. Read the rest of this entry »
Wind of Change blowing strong and hard in Sarawak –Sarawakians should write “416” in golden letters on Saturday as latest addition to the political lexicon of numbers of “520”, “308” and ”516” as powerful symbols in the quest for political change in Malaysia
The wind of change is blowing strong and hard in Sarawak. In Kuching, Sibu, Bintangor, Sarikei, Bintulu and particularly Miri as well as all over the state, there can be no mistaking the deep and powerful yearning of the Sarawakians for political change.
I am particularly impressed by the awakening of the people of Miri, who after allowing Kuching and Sibu to lead political change in the past few decades, seemed to have galloped, almost overnight, to the very forefront to join and lead the quest for political change not only in Sarawak but also Malaysia.
I call on the voters of Sarawak on Saturday to write “416” in golden letters as the latest addition to the political lexicon of numbers as powerful symbols in the quest for political change in Sarawak and Malaysia.
Let Saturday, April 16, go down in Sarawak and Malaysian history as another major milestone in the battle to establish “People’s Power” and reclaim the birthright of all Sarawakians and Malaysians to be full, equal and free citizens of this land entitled to all the fundamental rights promised when this nation was founded and enshrined in the constitution, including freedom of religion, rule of law, human rights, good governance, high quality of life and a just and prosperous society! Read the rest of this entry »
Taib says to only quit in a few years
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian InsiderApr 11, 2011
Taib is facing tremendous pressure to resign.KUCHING, April 11 — Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud repeated his intention tonight to step down “in a few years’ time” despite the opposition calling for a quicker end to the Sarawak chief minister’s 30-year-rule.
The embattled leader, who has taken on the task of delivering Sarawak for another term to the Barisan Nasional, made the pledge before Datuk Seri Najib Razak in a short speech at a 1 Malaysia concert held at the Padang Merdeka in the capital city here. Read the rest of this entry »
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