Tussling Begins for the 11 New State Seats

All eyes will be on the 11 New delineated seats when the 11th Sarawak State Elections is called. Both BN and Pakatan Harapan parties will put their cases to their respective coalitions on why their parties should or be allowed to stake a claim for the seats.

It will be politically interesting no doubt but at the end of the day the Rakyat will need to know who will represent them besides the designated party . They will need to weigh all the options as for the next 5 years when they affix their X to the person of their choice. Whoever sits as their representative must know the sentiments, culture, terrain, breakdown, wants, needs and many other factors of the local constituency.

The tussling and lobbying will be on going until the elections are called. Last minute changes have also taken place previously. Until the day of nominations we will still be wondering who and which party stakes the claim for the seats.

Extracted from Bernama

When the parliamentary sitting concludes next month, the 11 new Sarawak state seats are expected to be finalised, and the political parties in the ‘Land of the Hornbills’ can begin talks on whom should best contest in these constituencies.

Out of the 11 seats, three are Malay/Melanau majority areas (Gedong, Kabong and Telian), three Iban majority (Stakan, Selirik and Samalaju), two Orang Ulu majority (Murum and Long Lama), two majority Bidayuh (Serembu and Triboh), and one Chinese majority (Batu Kitang).

Chief Minister Adenan Satem has earlier announced five out of the new seats would be contested by the state Barisan National (BN) component party led by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, including the three seats which are predominantly Melayu/Melanau who never failed to give their full support to PBB and BN at every past state election.

Batu Kitang will be a testing ground to see if the “Adenan charismatic factor’ can draw the support of the Chinese given that the problem faced by BN is its component, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) – the predominantly Chinese party that faced an internal crisis which resulted in the formation of the splinter United People’s Party (UPP).

As Batu Kitang is an area created out of Kota Sentosa and Batu Kawah, which are currently under DAP, the opposition party is expected to make it a battlefield.Maybe unlikely.

This is because another of the opposition pact, PKR has already stake a claim in Batu Kitang and has even submitted several names who are likely to fielded as a candidate there.

Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian when contacted said Gerakan Harapan Baru would hold talks to reach a consensus on the distribution of seats when the time comes.He said it was still too early to say which seats would be contested by PKR but it would be in areas that they had worked hard to consolidate support.

In the last state election in 2011, PKR contested in 49 seats but only won three, namely Ba’Kelalan, Batu Lintang and Krian. Previously PKR only has one seat.In the state legislative assembly at present, PBB has 35 seats, SUPP six, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) six and Sarawak Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) eight. The opposition – DAP has 12 seats and PKR three. There is one Independent.

A piece of the pie

Among the state BN leaders, PRS president James Jemut Masing has voiced his hope to get the Bukit Goram (Selirik) and Murum seats from the 11 new seats.

SPDP senior vice president Paul Igai, when contacted, said the party was eyeing the two Iban majority seats but hastened to add that it was still up to the state BN top leadership to decide.If a consensus is reached, it means that PRS is almost certainly to get Bukit Goram (Selirik), while two other Iban majority seats, Stakan and Samalaju, can be ‘booked’ by SPDP.

That leaves the Orang Ulu majority seat of Long Lama (Mulu), and Bidayuh majority seats of Serembu and Triboh.After PBB is expected to get the three Melayu/Melanau majority seats, it is also eyeing another two seats with Triboh and Serembu being their best bets.

PBB is also highly likely to get Triboh, which is carved from the two existing state seats of Tebedu and Kedup, which are represented by PBB.Serembu, on the other hand, is created from a portion of Bengoh seat, which is represented by SUPP, as well as the Tarat seat, being represented by PBB.

The 11th new seat, Long Lama (Mulu) is created from the Marudi, which is represented by SPDP (now with the new Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras)) and Telang Usan, which is under PBB.With PBB claiming five out of the 11 new seats, SPDP or PRS can now eye Long Lama (Mulu).In terms of estimated figures, the opposition is viewed as not likely to pose a big challenge to the state leadership.

Redelineation favourable to BN

However, it is well-known that the support for a party in a particular constituency can swing due to factors such as protest votes, selection of candidates who are not ‘voter-friendly’ or internal disputes.

This new redelineation can be considered as favourable to the BN as almost all the new seats involved rural areas in which the BN has proven to receive a lot of support.

Prior to this, these places involved rural state constituencies that are huge, prompting the Election Commission to conduct the electoral redelineation.

As soon as the Federal Court approved the redelineation process middle of last month, Sarawak DAP secretary Alan Ling claimed that the state BN required an additional 11 seats to address a split in two of the BN component parties.

All this assumption, however, was made without any consideration to the two splinter parties, namely UPP and Teras, which have declared themselves as ‘BN-friendly’.Now the onus is on Adenan to use his good sense and experience in dealing with their application to join the state BN fold.- Bernama

CM Adenan”1MDB nothing to do with Sarawak”

Opposition are trying to get me involved in 1MDB. Adenan says it clearly,”1MDB nothing to do with Sarawak.”

“Another Attack on UPP,TERAS…tsk tsk tsk!”

Two Senior BN Ministers helming friendly BN parties seems to be constantly attacked by their former colleagues in Barisan Nasional Sarawak. Are both of them the real enemies to BN?

If audie61 may, the writer wrote this or have been told by his sources,”Perhaps he thinks Teras can hit out at any BN leader except Adenan. Perhaps everybody else in BN is not important except Adenan.

Why only Adenan? Because Adenan is the all-powerful? Because it is up to him to decide if you get to stand on BN ticket? Because it’s up to him to say Teras and UPP are in a special position where they enjoy better rights than PRS, SUPP and SPDP? .”

Was this recorded or was it just passed through word or mouth which was also a statement against a Senior Minister in James Masing. This is political allegation of the highest degree to defame and “profile” another Senior Minister’s Men when he spoke in Meluan.

During the PBDS struggles the BN symbol in 1991 was shared equally amongst the 8 seats two factions. The writer knows perfectly well on this matter. In our previous article we wrote and we publish the link for him to read,” https://audie61.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/no-clear-line-in-politics-theory-yes/ By the way we did say we did not stalk his writing didn’t we.?

Unfortunately for him his SUPP boys seems to like to tag people in FB and this appeared constantly and there was no way it could hide in cyber space.

Its also so coincidental that a TERAS SC member called us to remind them on the Prime Ministers statement and publication. This of course was even before the extracted article below went on cyberspace.

PM endorsed Teras & UPP at June 3rd BN rally at Stadium Perpaduan Sarawak. Some one must have forgotten that Najib Razak is still the Prime Minister or is someone in the BN party not telling us something?

Did Borneo Posts get it all wrong or there is a conspiracy which Adenan should know? We know,politics is so fluid and political parties can choose whether they want to opt out or be in a coalition. Surely,Mawan and Wong are very much part and parcel of the BN government and they are serving under the administration of Adenan’s government. We can also say that its not Adenan’s government as he inherited from Taib Mahmud midstream.

Adenan have made it clear that he would not change the cabinet midstream didn’t he? Does that sound familiar? Did he or did he not say that we may ask the leaders from PRS,SPDP or SUPP or even his own party PBB? Adenan could have drop anyone and pushed his friend as many would know William Mawan up as Deputy Chief Minister ahead of James Masing. Did he ? No,he didn’t and this allegation of him having a soft spot for Mawan is thus untrue.

Still,stop this harassment and untruth against both these leaders. By the way, am not siding with any of the leaders or audie61 would have losts all relevancy. Whatever happens in the Supreme council by the Presidents of the party remains and they need to bring it to the BN supreme council meeting. If there are uncertainties or disagreements one should sound it up between the BN leaders inside the meeting.

Why are they harping it outside and in the mass media as if Wong and Mawan are TRAITORS to Barisan Nasional. They are not Pakatan MInisters in BN Government are they?

A source even said that he spoke to the SUPP President that ,”he should name all the candidates now for the losts seats to DAP and PKR . At least the “aspiring” or winnable candidates are known by the voting constituents instead of only revealing them during nomination. Get an agreement for them to sign and its easy to even politically assassinate them if they turn against the party.”

Does that sound logical? Certainly, it does then to fight against each other claiming who can do this and do that. UPP and TERAS are very much part and parcel of BN Government whether the other parties in SUPP,SPDP or PRS like it or not. Adenan have kept his words not to disrupt anything before the State elections and let’s leave it to him to sort it out.

May we recommend to the writer a new article,” Adenan’s winning formula and strategy for BN”

He should write about who is winnable in the 16 losts seats and 11 New seats rather than attack the two BN friendly Party Presidents. He writes better than audie61 but we do know a bit more inside a political party more than him. Please do check our CV or resume (* not being arrogant though*)

I rests my case,

Extracted article from the writer

It’s easy to see why Wong Soon Koh is such a confused person nowadays.

United People’s Party (UPP), which he leads, is not a member of Barisan Nasional (BN) but he is a minister in Chief Minister Adenan Satem’s BN Plus government. 

The dividing line is razor thin, any man in his position, being neither here nor there but everywhere, would tend to overlook the fact that he is only a minister in the BN Plus government, which does not make him a member of BN. 

To be a member of BN you have to belong to a party that’s a component of BN.

In Sarawak, it means you have to be a member of any one of the four parties namely, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

If you are not a member of any one of these four parties you belong to the Opposition; or at best you can claim to be friends of BN as in the case of Wong and UPP, and William Mawan and Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras). 

But the problem with Wong and UPP is they say they are friends of BN but they are all out to deprive SUPP of its traditional seats. 

Similarly, Mawan and Teras also claim they are friends of BN but they are no friends of SPDP. Everybody knows they want to force SDPP out of BN and take over. 

Dr James Masing

They even criticise Dr James Masing, the president of PRS, the second biggest party after PBB in the Sarawak BN, for telling them they should be brave enough to use their own symbols in the coming state election. 

Even little known grassroots leaders of the party show no respect for the senior members of the state BN, saying they have every right to talk like BN does. 

In the state seat of Meluan for example, a Teras leader was saying because Teras acted like BN and talked like BN, “Where is it wrong when we resort to using the name of BN as far as government machinery and BN policies are concerned?” 

What the guy didn’t realise was he was speaking against Masing. Perhaps he thinks Teras can hit out at any BN leader except Adenan. Perhaps everybody else in BN is not important except Adenan.

Why only Adenan? Because Adenan is the all-powerful? Because it is up to him to decide if you get to stand on BN ticket? Because it’s up to him to say Teras and UPP are in a special position where they enjoy better rights than PRS, SUPP and SPDP? 

Such a statement against BN leaders and coming from people who are not BN members is not only being disrespectful but also being ignorant of how the BN system works.

Who says Teras is not desperate? Is there anyone in UPP who dares say UPP is not desperate either?

The state election is likely to be called within the next six months, let’s be frank about it – Teras and UPP are desperate about being admitted into BN because they know they can’t even win a single seat if they use their own symbols. 

Without the ‘dacing’ symbol, Mawan cannot win Pakan and Wong will lose Bawang Assan. They know it, which is why they will be lying if they say they are not desperate.

Sarawak’s Harmony…RESPECT THE KEY..!!

Sarawakians are able to live in peace and harmony despite ethnic and religious differences because of their very high respect for one another.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem said this is exactly what Prophet Muhammad taught his followers by getting along with other communities of different beliefs, tribes and origins, which should be emulated by the Muslim community today.
“Prophet Muhammad taught us to accept and love all mankind regardless of wh…o they are. He also taught us that no single race or group can live in isolation but must collaborate with others,” he said when opening the state-level assembly and procession to mark the birth of Prophet Muhammad at Masjid Jamek here yesterday.
“Men need one another to survive and in the context of Sarawak, which has at least 27 ethnic groups, we have been able to come together and help each other irrespective of race and religion.
“This is our most precious heritage left by our forefathers that we should nurture and preserve with all our might,” he stressed.
Politically, he said the people of Sarawak have been able to rule the state through a power-sharing concept.
“All races are given fair and equal share. It is through this understanding that the people of Sarawak, who comprise of multiracial and religious backgrounds, have been able to live harmoniously with high respect towards one another,” he said.
Bringing a multi-ethnic society together to fight for a common cause is never easy, he said, but it must start from a central point.
Adenan said the best point would be the home, by inculcating such understanding and values among children.
“Every family plays a very vital role to instil positive values such as love and respect for other races and religions,” he asserted.
He said the Maulidur Rasul celebration would be able to enhance a sense of love and respect for one another according to the example set by Prophet Muhammad.
Among those attending the event were acting Head of State Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nasar and his wife Datin Amar Fatimah Mohd Iskandar, Adenan’s wife Datin Patinggi Datuk Jamilah Anu, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman, and State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani.

Surprises In Store for Opposition in Sarawak..!!

KUCHING: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the backbone of Sarawak Barisan Nasional has prepared a few surprises for the opposition for the coming state elections.

PBB President, Adenan Satem said the state elections could be called anytime between now until June 2016, when the current term of the State Legislative Assembly would expire.

“We have a few surprises for the opposition, which we will not reveal now,” he told a press conference after chairing the PBB supreme council meeting here.

Asked whether the introduction of some new faces in the elections would come as part of the surprise, he replied: “A surprise is a surprise. I cannot reveal it now.”

At present, PBB holds 35 of the 71 Sarawak state assembly seats which they won in the last state election held in 2011.

– BERNAMA

BN Sarawak To lose “Fixed Deposit..?”

Extracted from Malaysiakini…

BN may lose Sarawak as its ‘fixed deposit’ in the coming state election if internal problems within Sarawak BN are not settled within the next 12 months, warned Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing.

“The problems within SUPP and SPDP still persist and unless leaders within BN are willing to take the bull by the horns, the instability within Sarawak BN will create unnecessary headaches for the chief minister,” he said during the PRS 10th anniversary dinner in Kuching last night.

“It was most unfortunate and rather unnecessary that a new political party called Teras (Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak) was used by some disgruntled State Assemblymen just as Adenan Satem (Chief Minister of Sarawak) assumed the mantle of leadership.

“In fact, it was done as if orchestrated, on the very day Adenan (left) delivered his first winding up speech as the chief minister of Sarawak,” he added.

Masing, who is a senior minister and minister of land development, made it clear that PRS did not agree in the manner and the timing by which Teras was formed.

“And I assume that SUPP, SPDP and maybe some elements within PBB, also do not agree because it destabilises the newly appointed chief minister.

“Solutions to solve problems within SPDP and SUPP could have been handled in a manner which would have allowed the new chief minister time to adjust to his new position.

“It would have given him time to read the political landscape of Sarawak and then suggest the correct solutions,” he said.

“In trying to think of possible solutions, I recalled what Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said in his speech at the SUPP 23rd Delegates Conference in Kuching.

This is what he said: ‘You have gone through hell; I want you to come back stronger and ready to fight for BN. I believe in politics of principles’.

“The prime minister believed in politics of principles, and so does PRS. I also believe that the other BN component parties namely PBB, SUPP and SPDP also believe in this,” he said, pointing out that there are rules in BN which had over the years, bound the spirit of comradeship among BN component parties.

He added one of the rules, is that ‘admission to BN must be 100 percent consensus’.

“What this means is that if one party in BN objects, admission into BN family is impossible. This is the principle which Najib was talking about.

“I cannot see how UPP (United People’s Party) and Teras can get admitted to BN if we follow these principles.

“If admission of these two parties to BN is not possible, then another set of principles must apply in order to solve the current problem in Sarawak – that is principle of personal integrity.

“Among other things, All YBs concerned must look back to where they started and how did they got to where they are now,” he said.

‘Unity is strength’

Also saying unity is strength, Masing asserted that the four parties (PBB, PRS, SPDP and SUPP) must stand together.

“In order to win the 2016 state election, we must abide by BN rules. Thus this code of conduct among BN followers: ‘you touch one you touch all’ must be practised with dedication and sincerity,” he added.

Masing said UPP which was formed by expelled SUPP leaders and Teras by expelled SPDP leaders, had been telling their supporters and members of the public that they are ‘already in BN’ by virtue of the fact that some of their leaders are in the state cabinet.

UPP is claiming 19 seats that SUPP is going to contest, while Teras is claiming eight seats which are allocated to SPDP.

“I believe all heads of BN component parties in Malaysia and in Sarawak think alike, sharing the same objectives, speaking from same page, sleep on the same bed and dream the same dreams,” he added.

“Unless we are humble enough to trim our egos, lean on and learn from each other, the 2016 state election and 2018 federal election will be worse – urban seats will go.

“The egos which have kept us apart will be dumped in the urban rubbish bins; we will be left with nothing but bruised pride. We will not be the administrators of this state,” he warned.

35 Ethnic Races “We Live in Unity and Harmony”

The chief minister said things were a bit different in the peninsula.

“In West Malaysia, there are  only three major races and a few indigenous people, but they never stop bickering. It is stupid.

“Here we have 35 races and yet we are very peaceful and live in unity and harmony,” he said at a Hari Raya gathering at Lundu Sport Complex yesterday.

Adenan said everyone should be thankful they could live in peace and harmony. They only have to look at the gruesome conflicts in the Middle East and in Africa to know what disunity and wars could bring.

“If we read the news or watch television, the Arabs, the Palestinians, and the Africans never stop killing each other. It is very bad.”

 

TERAS and UPP “Suitable Solution will be found..!!”

SIBU, Aug 4 (Bernama) — Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem is still working out a suitable solution to solve the problems in the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) caused by the emergence of new political parties, namely Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) and the United People’s Party (UPP).

Teras and UPP existed as a result of internal leadership crisis in the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) respectively.

Speaking at a Hari Raya do here on Sunday night, the chief minister said there was no doubt that the emergence of Teras and UPP had affected the Sarawak BN’s solidarity and strength to a certain extend.

“The opposition parties are cheering and may stand to gain, but I’m working out a solution.

“I cannot solve the problem there and then. Give me time, maybe one or two years to do so,” he said.

Both Teras and UPP are yet to be accepted into the BN. Teras is led by Tan Sri William Mawan, who is also the state’s Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation and former SPDP president, while UPP is helmed by Datuk Sri Wong Soon Koh, who is the state’s Minister of Local Government and Community Development and former SUPP assistant secretary general.

On the current state cabinet line-up, Adenan said he would maintain it without any changes and hence, keeping Mawan and Wong.

“I want an inclusive not an exclusive government. This is the policy for us to prosper and progress,” he added.

— BERNAMA

CM Adenan Wants to Help The Rural Poor

State government to focus on rural development to narrow rich-poor gap

Posted on June 29, 2014, Sunday

BINTULU: The state government will place emphasis on rural development to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor in Sarawak.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem said yesterday there was a need to narrow down the increasingly widening disparity.

Speaking at the annual Gawai-Kaamatan Celebration 2014 at Rh Meikle Ding, a 28-door modern Iban longhouse in Sungai Seputan, Sebauh about 55 kms from here, he said there must be an improvement in the life of the rural poor.

The celebration was jointly organised by the Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), led by its president Datuk Joseph Salang and the Sabah Kadazanduzun Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), under Bonipasius Bianis.

“That is why I have asked for an increase in oil royalty from the federal government.

“I have talked to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak about this and he seems quite receptive to it. I will pursue it further,” Adenan said, adding that he would be attending a briefing by the national oil and gas company, Petronas on its activities in the state tomorrow.

Meanwhile he reiterated his advice for the different communities in the state and Sabah to continue to zealously safeguard their existing peace and harmony.

“For Sarawak, we will continue to ban outside racists and religious bigots from coming in to destroy these for us,” he said.

Although Islam was the country’s official religion, he said, everyone was free to practise the religion of their choice.

At the function Adenan announced a government grant of RM900,000 to improve the Kemana-Jepak Road. — Bernama

Adenan “No Bigots,No Racists and Extremists”

Sarawak is tightening its immigration rules and stepping up scrutiny of visitors particularly from the peninsula to keep out “extremists, religious bigots and racists”, Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem said.

At a press conference to mark his 100 days as chief minister, Adenan (pic) said racism and religious intolerance were “not in character with the people of Sarawak”.

“We have lived harmoniously all these many years and it is my responsibility to see that we, people of all races and culture, continue to live harmoniously together.

“May 13 never happened here. As far as Sarawak is concerned, May 13 (race riots in 1969) was a distant thunder on the other side of the hill,” said Adenan, who succeeded Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud in February.

One way to safeguard the harmony in the state, he said, was to keep religious fanatics and racists “of all colours” out.

No officials would say how many names are the “black list” of people banned from the state, but one name that Adenan himself had said months earlier was on the list is that of Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali.

Perkasa is a Malay right-wing group that had been fanning racial and religious tensions in the peninsula.

Adenan was responding to questions on how he planned to achieve his vision of making Sarawak a “progressive, vibrant and harmonious” state when the rumblings of religious and racial intolerance were getting louder in the peninsula and could spread to Sarawak.

Even though immigration is a matter under federal purview, Sarawak and Sabah have autonomy over immigration in their respective states under the terms of the Malaysia Agreement and, therefore, can bar anyone they deemed undesirable and a threat to the state.

Sarawak PKR vice-chairman See Chee How, meanwhile, reminded Adenan that his 100-day “honeymoon” was not without bitterness.

He said Adenan that he and his new administration are perceived as interim and “a continuation of the old administration that is under intense scrutiny and criticism locally and internationally”.

He added that Adenan was seen as playing second fiddle to Taib, who is now the Yang DiPertua Negeri.

“Adenan was given a lot of slack in his first 100 days. He has enjoyed a high level of public support.

“The high hopes for what he will be able to accomplish, the benefit of doubt given to him that his administration will govern in ways that they like becomes a trust in the new chief minister and in the promises that he made in his inauguration speech,” See said in a statement.

“The new chief minister vows to be a chief minister for all Sarawakians, to protect the popular aspirations for state autonomy, special rights and privileges under the Malaysia Agreement, and higher oil and gas royalty.

“He further promised to bar the entry of racists and religious bigots and declared that there will be no implementation of hudud in Sarawak and no seizure of Holy Scriptures (Bibles).

“All these bode well with the general Sarawakians,” See said.

However, Adenan’s mantle as the Barisan Nasional state chief was also being tested, See said, referring to two senior ministers and about half a dozen assistant ministers who stirred political unrest in the state BN in a mass exodus with their supporters from their former parties to join a newly formed party.

The move provoked strong opposition from three state BN coalition parties Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

See summed up Adenan’s 100 days by saying: “While there are no major accomplishments yet, there are also no failures, disappointments or liabilities.

“The new chief minister must deliver his promises and be the chief administration to fulfil the hopes of Sarawakians that things can change and their lives will be improved under the new administration.”

June 6, 2014.