Sarawak PRN12 ‘The Battle is on. Battle Royale and Massive Spoilers!!”

Kalau bukan kamek siapa gik? (if not us,who else)

The normal layman on the street and voter is so used to hearing those words come the,”season of election.”
PRN12 in Sarawak will not be short of excitement,slandering, frustrations,festivities all around the 82 seats on offer. The Voters will be the key to Petrajaya.

The reality of course is Pakatan Harapan after wrestling the Federal government will be hoping that their Sarawak counterparts (pretenders to the throne of ruling Sarawak) can capitalise on the newfound power to take on Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) the ruling State Government. 

Going with the flow is of course Parti Sarawak Bersatu ( PSB) who will be massive Spoilers and other Sarawak local based Parties Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) Sarawak Reform Party (STAR) Party Bumi Kenyalang (PBK).

We were made to understand  and have the list too with us that PSB (massive spoilers) has a list of 36 seats which they are targeting in place and from intelligence sources they are not far behind in finances as they are being financed by a huge conglomerate to the tune of millions.

Thus,It’s of no wonder that PSB is on a recruitment and expansion drive into the rural areas for the party to stay relevant  It does look like they are going into SUPP,PRS and PDP areas only and not intruding into PBB areas..

What actually is the political statement and intent here?

According to a political analyst these parties will be a threat if they decide to pull their resources together and combine into another Sarawak Coalition under Sarawak Baru. They all have their strengths too and they need to look at themselves as the dynamics have indeed changed.

History was created in May 2018 and the facts and statistics are there for all political strategists to compare and learn from where their mistakes were or for their winning efforts 

Lesson from GE14 where a 5% swing in the Malay Hinterland Areas in Peninsular Malaysia saw the Ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) Government losing power to the Opposition Pakatan Harapan Government for the first time.

The BN Safe areas votes where BN faced PH and PAS saw PAS taking a substantial chunk of the votes and deprived BN of the winning seat. Its a tough lesson and am sure BN knows that the new coalition of alliances which includes PAS is very relevant in the Malay heartland.

Its been proven though in the 3 by-elections but will the Majority of Malay Voters buy into this Partnership or New Ally for GE15?

We will not know till after GE15 so might as well we turn our attention to something more familiar and HOME Based which is PRN12. 

The crew and writers of audie61 have travelled extensively and experienced many State elections going back as far as to the ‘infamous MING COURT AFFAIR of 1987’.
When PRN12 is eventually called it could be 33 or 34  years since that episode.

Many of the younger politicians who started their Political careers have battle scars, battle grudges and are battle hardened. They will still be there in PRN12 and they will have a say or two.
Of course PH Candidates  will definitely use a slogan …lets put some creative words in their mouth..,”If not now when again. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH“

Didn’t DAP use the POKEMON GO advertisement to their advantage then? Heard they are using the Marvel Studio and Avengers symbol for Sandakan? Is this true? Hope not, as they might be in for a serious breach of patent.

We know fairly well that Just about anything that catches the eye of the voter is being used to draw the voter to mark the election slips.

A too familiar war cry which will entice and ensure their candidates are on the winning side is all political propaganda and their strategists needs to know the real feel and touch point on the ground zero.

The propaganda team can create the most outstanding video,caricature,e-poster various free gifts to symbolise the coalition but ULTIMATELY the candidate is the most important factor the voters to choose.

The fact remains now and the voters and political analyst knows that the political climate in Sarawak has indeed gone up a few decibels.

PBB being the strongest party with 46 ADUNS heads the new SARAWAK Coalition of GPS with PRS 11,SUPP 7,PDP 4.

GPS left the BN Coalition for the greater good of Sarawak and most obviously to put a foot into the body of opposition in Pakatan Harapan Sarawak (PH) 
PH is made up of Peninsular based parties and the assemblyman that represents them are no doubt Sarawakians but they still have to toe the line in the party hierarchy and answerable to them.
It’s a win/lose situation for them come PRN12 as the SARAWAK SENTIMENTS are extremely high with all the numerous U-TURNS by PH on SARAWAK affairs which gives more than an edge to Sarawak based parties in GPS and to a certain extent in PSB or to Sarawak Baru parties.

It’s harsh to say that the chips are down for PH Sarawak as unfulfilled promises are not addressed from economy, fuel prices, new taxes and cost of living. They cannot used their own too familiar rhetoric and stage showed ceramahs to hook-winked the urban areas.

The rural areas the GPS government will still be attacked by the opposition in PH prioritising on NCR and Crony Companies involved. The local based parties will use their own personal influences that they are better in representing them in the constituency rather than the incumbent GPS assemblyman/woman.

The option is there to attract the  voters and they will know who is more than capable to represent them in Petrajaya. This is not a sweeping statement and the right strategy and the reality of deliverance of the Incumbents will ensure they are safe.

If not, they will simply be shown the door and this is the fairest statement from a constituent. Forget the ceremonial hoo-haas as Sarawak is on a threshold of something new and new leaders will appear and be elected but the veteran and experience will also have their say on the future of Sarawak.

The jigsaw to wrestle control for the State from PH Point of view looks complicated or does it? There are many issues,factors and so much political work still to be done.

It’s not all gloom or doom for all the political players in PRN12. According to a senior politician he puts it down to strategy and how each coalition uses the right method of deliverance to ensure the votes stays or goes to their candidate.

It’s so different and not the same for GPS now as their Wings have been clipped without Federal Intelligence and Agencies on their side. PH will have over 30 or more agencies with them. PH will need to know how to use this to their advantage and word has it that they are looking at denying 2/3rds Majority for the ruling GPS .

Of course, this must not be complacency on GPS side and they need to up their ante and put up a formidable fort and  protect what is theirs. It’s going to be tough and we know that the political situation have changed.

However, it does get rather interesting with PSB ( Parti Sarawak Bersatu) not in any of the coalition.

Are they playing spoilers or could they be doing it for their own Survival? The talking point is obvious and for the Chief Minister to subtly put it that there are “TERMITES” in their midst and the fact is that’s looking at it POSITIVELY with PH also a real termite biting away.

Coming to CM’s defence is that he knows that the threat is real as he will be leading the TEAM GPS for the first time as Commander in Chief. He will need his Generals and lieutenants to be on top of their Political game to fend off all the advances from all angles.

The Sarawak Sentiments is very strong and how long will it last will be up to the parties to capitalise. The Battle is On and given all the considerations and concerns GPS will still have the upper hand but they must not let their guard down.

In Politics anything is possible and the Strategists for all the parties will need to be on top of their game and that might be it.

Nothing is bizarre when it comes to the Voters who will have the final say in the ballot boxes for PRN12.

The 1.2 Million voters throughout the 82 seats will determine the Government of the day.

Be Warned ……

 

Bread and Butter Issues…!!!

Our columnist friend sent us this article from an Observer and he says we should share this for the benefit of Sarawakians at large. 

It’s pretty interesting and he has some good points and we extract fully for all to have their own opinions on this issue.

Extracted

Bread and Butter Issues Matter of Concern

Almost a year has passed after PH Government took over from BN the market but the FEEL GOOD FACTOR seems somewhat missing.

Malaysians young, middle age and elderly who had high hopes of better and comfortable living are feeling the pinch of rising costs in the Country. The much touted and election propaganda of oil prices dropping to RM1.50 which saw a considerable swing for votes has not materialise and to many its political “HOT AIR” just to win votes.

PH have done the unthinkable by ousting BN but what remains is that according to an emeritus professor,” Do they have the know how to turn the Economy Around to benefit the people?”
Even the man on the street are complaining of their favourite chicken rice prices which have sky rocketed. Even if maintain the portioning has also been greatly reduced.

This is not in an established restaurant but in chicken rice shops around the country. 50 cents or a dollar is nothing much for the rich and famous but for the average family of 5 that would mean extra BURDEN.

When established learned professionals are rolling out their drums and beating it LOUDLY there are causes for concern.

A well read newspaper in Malaysia had published these statements from,”Universiti Tun Abdul Razak lecturer and programme director of its Global MBA Program, Dr Barjoyai Bardai, said Pakatan needed to roll out an economic master plan for the next four years as many people were still waiting for a clearer direction on the economy.

Even an Executive Director from Malaysian Institute of Economic Research Dr Zakaria Abdul Rashid said there was an urgent need for the government to implement measures to stimulate the economy and deal with concerns over rising prices.

Zakaria added that although there was a price deflation, worries over the cost of living had not been fully addressed.

How about what the millions of Malaysians who have very little say in running the Government and they have to just work extra jobs to just to put FOOD on the table for their families?

It’s of no use to blame the Former Barisan Nasional government of misdeeds, misappropriation or misjudgement in the economy.

The People of Malaysia does not want Excuses and the Blame Game.
They want remedies and its “Broken, Fix it” and moreover we voted you in there so that our daily bread and butter needs can be taken care of.

We can talk and compare individual prices before Barisan Nasional or now under Pakatan Harapan but the fact of the matter the following items in the market for eggs, chicken rice, vegetables, fish , bread, cooking oil, daily needs and essentials for the family are seeing a shift upwards instead of Spiralling Down.

You cannot expect Malaysians just to eat salt and rice or to some who can afford a bit more just instant maggi mee everyday before the worse is over.

The Government of the Day needs to address this issue very seriously and don’t push fingers back to the previous government.

We as a consumer and also concerned Malaysian citizens are not saying it just to bad mouth or trash the government of the day in PH. There should not be comparisons to halt the ever increase of prices in daily essentials.

This is an opinion of things and this is not target or HIT OUT(‘Bante jak’ Bahasa Sarawak).

We are not doing it, what’s in our mind and not for Political Mileage because its Real.
TRUE OR NOT?

The Observer
(The views expressed here are those of the author or contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of BITES)
#Sarawak #KopitiamTalk #MalaysianEconomy #ChickenRice #BreadandButter #ConsumerIssues

Sarawakians or Sabahans would not be Fooled Again,Would they?

Are we going to get into this subject when its the TALK OF THE TOWN in Sarawak and Sabah? Seems at every coffee shop which our team has patronised we are never far from,”Article 1 (2) of the Federal Constitution amendment Bill  which was tabled at the Parliament last Thursday 4th April 2019.”

It’s pretty interesting to note that Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin says he is displeased with the words used and it should have read as,”

The Bill, he said, should read the Federation of Malaysia should consist of:
(a) The states in the Federation of Malaya – Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Selangor and Terengganu – and
(b) The Country of Sarawak; and
(c) The Country of Sabah.

He lamented that based on the proposed amendment Bill, Sarawak and Sabah are not equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia.

Is the PKR MP speaking the truth for his OWN SURVIVAL?

Even the cartoonists are having a field day as from the story-line its being directed to the Federal Pakatan Harapan which has all the hallmarks of ,’

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”

We need to refresh ourselves on this subject matter and we extract the following below for everyone who feels that their country’s right should not be compromised.

Extracted Fully:- https://asklegal.my/p/5-facts-about-the-malaysia-agreement-1963

5 Facts You Didn’t Know About The Malaysia Agreement 1963

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not meant to be used or construed as legal advice in any manner whatsoever. All articles have been scrutinized by a practicing lawyer to ensure accuracy.
Shortly after the Federal Government’s announcement of tourism tax that’s slated to take effect in July, the Sarawak state government made a surprise move by withdrawing its state representative from the Malaysian Tourism Board with immediate effect.

This move is believed to be a result of Sarawak’s request for the July implementation to be postponed to a later date, which was denied. But what’s interesting is that Sarawak State Minister of Tourism Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that tourism was a matter to be discussed as part of the Malaysia Agreement 1963:

“If they do not want to defer it in Semenanjung, that is up to them. But at least defer it in Sabah and Sarawak … You have to respect the Malaysia Agreement 1963. And another thing ― the state government must have some say in the matter; maybe the state government wants part of the tax collected to be returned.” – Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, as quoted by The Maiay Mail Online.
In even more recent news, current Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg announced he was sending a team of lawyers to London to study details of the Malaysia Agreement:

“This agreement is not simply an agreement; we want to get the facts right because if we want to make a claim, we must do our homework, otherwise we are just shooting at the target without hitting it.” – Abang Johari Openg, as quoted by Malaysiakini.
So…. what’s the Malaysia Agreement all about?

As a quick refresher on what you read about in school textbooks, the Malaysia as we know it today was initially formed as the Federation of Malaya on 31st August 1957 in accordance with the Federation of Malaya Agreement:

Article 3, Federation of Malaya Independence Agreement (in part):

“As from the thirty-first day of August, nineteen hundred and fifty-seven, the Malay States and the Settlements shall be formed into a new Federation of States by the name of … the Federation of Malaya…”

However, this did not include Sabah and Sarawak. This inclusion actually came about later, when another agreement was signed which led to the merger between Sabah, Sarawak and, briefly, Singapore and the Federation of Malaya to form the present day Federation of Malaysia.

That agreement is the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which set out the terms and conditions in which the three states agreed to merge the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia:

Article 1, Malaysia Agreement 1963

“The Colonies of North Borneo and Sarawak and the State of Singapore shall be federated with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya as the States of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in accordance with the constitutional instruments annexed to this Agreement and the Federation shall thereafter be called Malaysia.”

Aside from being the crux of the debate for greater autonomy for East Malaysia and (now) the tourism tax issue, the MA63 is a pretty fascinating document. For instance, did you know…

1. MA63 is an INTERNATIONAL agreementSignatories of the Malaysia Agreement arriving in London on July 12, 1963. 

MA63 is an international agreement, registered in the United Nations on 21 September 1970, bearing the registration number 10760. Being an international agreement, this means the Malaysia Parliament has no authority to amend the terms of MA63.

What the Parliament can do is pass new law to give legal effect to an international treaty. For example, the Parliament passed the Malaysia Act 1963 to give legal effect to MA63. Certain parts of the Federal Constitution have also been amended to incorporate the terms of agreement made between Sabah, Sawak and Malaya during the formation of Malaysia.

The Federal Constitution is said to have been amended over 700 times since 1957, but the terms contained within MA63 have remained unchanged since the day it was signed in 1963, as it is beyond the Parliament’s jurisdiction to amend it.
2. Unlike Malaysian laws, MA63 cannot be changed in the Malaysian Parliament
The only way the terms within MA63 can be amended is for all the signatory parties to sit down together as peers and amend it.

This is due to the fact that MA63 is an international treaty, not a piece of law that the Parliament has legislated.As mentioned in the previous point, the Parliament has no legal right to amend an international treaty.

In practice this would mean Sabah, Sarawak, the federal government and the United Kingdom would have to sit together and renegotiate the terms in order to change it.

Unlike the Federal Constitution which can be amended by the Malaysian Parliament, MA63 and IGC Report can never be amended by anyone, unless the territories that originally signed it decided once more to return to the negotiation table and re-negotiate a new future- Zainal Ajamain, Sabahan rights activist & author, as quoted by The Malay Mail Online

3. Sabah and Sarawak have the authority to enforce MA63 on their own

Article 8 of MA63 says that Sabah and Sarawak can take their own measures to enforce and implement MA63, without having to amend the Federal Constitution.

Article 8, Malaysia Agreement 1963 (in part):

The Governments of the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak will take such legislative, executive or other action as may be required to implement the assurances, undertakings, recommendations….in so far as they are not implemented by express provision of the Constitution of Malaysia

In November 2016, then-Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem initially proposed a motion to reclaim Sarawak’s rights under MA63 in the state assembly, but this was withheld at the last moment.

If the motion went ahead, it could be seen to be as the Sarawak state government using its right under Article 8 of MA63. Instead the state government opted on a diplomatic approach with the federal government on resolving the issue of unfulfilled rights under MA63.
4. Sabah and Sarawak has extra autonomy to make decisions because of MA63
Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya in forming Malaysia with the understanding that there will be guarantees within the Federal Constitution to protect their rights and privileges.

These guarantees and safeguards have since been inserted into the Constitution and relevant laws. Some of these privileges include:

Non-Sabah and Sarawak lawyers do not have the right to practise in Sabah and Sarawak courts (Article 161B).

As a result of Article 161B, lawyers from Peninsular Malaysia are not allowed to practise in Sabah and Sarawak without applying for a licence from the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak. Even if they have the obtained the licence, they would still have to apply for a work permit from the state Immigration Department.

Sabah and Sarawak still have the right to use English in its state assembly and court proceedings (Article 161(1) and (2)).

Article 161(1) forbids any law that restricting Sabah and Sarawak’s right to use English for official purposes until after ten years from 16th September 1963.

As of today the National Language Act 1963/1967 has not yet come into force in Sarawak. This means that it is still not mandatory for the state to use Bahasa Malaysia in government departments and state ministries.

Section 1(2), National Language Act:

This Act shall come into force in the States of Sabah and Sarawak on such dates as the respective State Authorities may by enactments of the Legislatures of the respective States appoint and different dates may be appointed for the coming into force of different provisions of this Act in those States.
5. Sarawak and Sabah has its own immigration law

Sarawak and Sabah has the power to regulate immigration to their states. In fact, Malaysians from the Peninsula require a permit if they want to work or study in Sarawak or Sabah. Those who are on a short visit to Sarawak and Sabah will have to fill an immigration form for a 90-day visit pass.

This restriction is laid in in Section 66 of the Immigration Act 1959/1963, and was included because of MA63.

Section 66(1), Immigration Act 1959/1963 (in part):

“… a citizen shall not be entitled to enter an East Malaysian State without having obtained a Permit or Pass in that behalf unless—

(a) he belongs to the East Malaysian State…”

These restrictions are apparently implemented to limit entry to those who can positively contribute to (either) state, while keeping their borders off-limits anyone who may pose a threat to order and security.

In Conclusion, wouldn’t this Face Book posting being welcomed by everyone in Sarawak and Sabah 

What would have happened if the Bill to Amend the Federal Constitution 1(2) had included Sarawak and Sabah as Negara was mentioned in the first sitting?
Wouldnt Sarawakians and Sabahans be overjoyed instead of now which sees POLITICAL UNCERTAINTIES on the Horizon.
First step should have been the above instead of deliberations and courts to decide in the Future.
56 Sabah/Sarawak MPS 166 Peninsular MPS to decide? 
THINK Carefully!!!!
“When the PEOPLE are HAPPY the Country will PROSPER.”
Oooo haaaaa..

The rallying call sounds familiar and Sarawakians and Sabahans would be shouting themselves hoarse in Celebration if it was last Thursday presented as such….