A New Ally-UMNO and PKR

 

This picture which shows Datuk sri Abdullah Badawi and Deputy Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar meeting UMNO representatives from Sarawak at Parliament House is itself a very defining moment for the UMNO Promoters in Sarawak. A lot of phone calls were exchanged in the Eastern shores of Malaysia and this does goes without saying its a “Plus Point” for the protem committee which was set up in September 11th 2006. 

PPP,PKR, DAP and PAS has  entered Sarawak, so what is “actually” stopping UMNO? My earlier article Sarawak Pie-National Politics dated 9th of May https://audie61.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/sarawak-pienational-politics/

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the de facto leader of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is quick, moves like a cheetah, he smells a killing and he knows that the BN coalition so used to be being in power suddenly the situation is like a world turned topsy-turvy.What does he do? After winning 5 States in Peninsular he turns the Pakatan Rakyat ship and heads straight to Sarawak shores.

He has been busy where on April 24th 2008 he officiated in the opening of PKR Mambong Division which was attended by political figures, social activists, intellectuals and professionals estimated at more than 800 from the Dayak community. Exactly a month later Anwar is back again and this time after attending a meeting in Kuching he will criss cross into the Iban hinterland of Lubok Antu to launch the Division on the afternoon of the  24th May 2008.

Sarawak State PKR Chairman YB Dominique Ng who was interviewed over the phone this evening said that the crowd is expected to be in the region of a couple of thousand. Anyway the longhouse can only hold 2500 people at any one time.Nicholas Bawin Anggat(former MDC protem President ) is expected to head the New Division in Lubok Antu. The Party currently has 14 divisions throughout the State but hopes to eventually increase that to 31 divisions-the number of parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak. Lubok Antu Division will be the 15th as the Party prepares itself to take on the State Barisan National government in the expected 2010 state elections. Anwar knows this is a fresh breeding ground for Keadilan and Pakatan Rakyat and he knows where to “point his arrow.” Afterall he is a step ahead….

Pro-tem chairman Affendi Jeman,(Jawatankuasa Penaja Umno Negeri Sarawak (JPUNS), sees it will be a matter of time before the party opens its doors in Sarawak officially. Soon? The political landscape has changed drastically and he knows that eventhough PBB had been playing the role that UMNO played in West Malaysia through meeting the aspirations of Sarawakians there is an absolute need now. 

A lot of the UMNO members are asking what does UMNO do now? How does it reinvent itself? Where are the new Allies? They are indeed concerned about the future,the state of the party and the leadership. Even Tun Mahathir has knocked the party to the backwaters and Datuk Seri Anwar is finding new friends in Sarawak. It would be foolhardy not to make drastic changes come the National Assembly in December. Surely Abdullah Badawi would not let this oppurtunity further slips as he intends to strenghten UMNO.

UMNO is the lead partner in the BN coalition and it cannot be seen to be weaker than Parti Keadilan. Statistics,findings,figures(collected by JPUNS)and political favouritism has seen the reduction in popular support for Barisan National in the Malay/Melanau constituencies in Sarawak. UMNO will be seen as shield plus another “political platform” to stem the tide of the people crossing in large numbers over to Parti Keadilan Rakyat. 

A businessmen/politician used “ice cream flavours” as the roles each political party plays in enticing the electorates.We do not know the taste of UMNO in Sarawak until it comes do we? Sarawak may even be better economically under UMNO if it comes and it surely will do a world of good if Sarawak participates in National politics. With close to 35 protem branches and 68000 registered members isn’t it time for the New Ally to show its colours.

There has been so much talk about the two party system Barisan National and Pakatan Rakyat and Malaysians have collectively reached maturity in their political thinking and as such they will be able to to choose which party is their preferred choice. A newly appointed political secretary to the Chief Minister and also from the PBB Youth Wing when shown the above picture from the NST just shrugged his shoulders and said that UMNOs time will come but not as yet as PBB is still significant.

Will Sarawak be just a Protem UMNO State or will it join the 191 Divisions to attend the Annual General Assembly as a full fledged member after December 2008. The delegates close to 2500 representing nearly 2.8million or so members will be taken to the sword. It is expected to be a very steamy affair in the coming General assembly and will we see Protem Sarawak hog the headlines for the “right reasons” come December. The “Lion” needs to control its pack as the “Cheetah” has already has a Headstart.