Pakatan must buck up in Selangor

Several DAP grassroots leaders have sounded the alarm bells, telling Pakatan Rakyat to buck up or risk losing Selangor to the reinvigorated Barisan Nasional at the next general election.

at Free Malaysia Today

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Several grassroots DAP leaders have voiced their concern over the declining support for Pakatan Rakyat, the loosely formed opposition coalition, especially among the Indian community in the state.

This has raised concerns if Pakatan, which has been administering Selangor since the 2008 general election, would be able to withstand the mighty Barisan Nasional (BN) election machinery at the next general election.

The matter, some DAP grassroots leaders said, was also raised at a closed-door meeting by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is also Penang chief minister, with some 100 DAP grassroots leaders in Kelana Jaya last night.

DAP grassroots leaders, who attended the meeting, told FMT that Lim had pointed out that several strategies used by BN chief and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was gathering momentum, and was indeed winning the hearts and minds of the Indian community.

“Lim in general believed Selangor DAP lacked leadership compared to Penang and Perak in reaching out to the people, especially those in lower income group.”

“They (Indian voters) are not aware of what is happening around them and they are clueless of state government programmes in uplifting the socio-economic status of the Indian community in Selangor,” said a DAP leader after the meeting.

Prior to 2008, Malaysian Indians were staunch supporters of the ruling BN. But several unresolved issues led the community to throw its backing for the opposition at the 2008 general election. This coupled with several other reasons resulted in the BN suffering an unprecedented loss at the polls.

The BN lost Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor in 2008. It also lost its long-held two-thirds majority in Parliament. However, Perak is back in the hands of the BN after three state assemblymen pulled out and became independent state assemblymen in support of the BN.

Selangor main battle ground

There are 56 state seats in Selangor, which has about 1.56 million registered voters. Indian voters make up 220,000 or 14% of the total voters in Selangor.

Of the 56 seats, there are at least 20% Indian voters in at least 30 seats. This 20% could play a deciding role in the outcome of the 30 seats and ultimately decide on who forms the state government.

The DAP member said although Lim acknowledged that Pakatan in Selangor had initiated several programmes for the community since taking power, there are certain areas which need to be ironed out.

Lim is expected to hold similar meetings throughout the country although DAP believes that the “main battle” would be in Selangor as the BN wanted to capture the state at all costs.

“He (Lim) wanted the party to reach out to the people of Selangor by highlighting policies of the state government and its delivery system.”

“When people have better understanding of the delivery system, then there is no reason for them to reject the government which delivers,” he added.

Among DAP leaders who attended the meeting were Ronnie Liu, Teresa Kok, Tony Phua and Charles Santiago.

Pemilihan PKR: Siasatan JPP selesai? - Fazy Sahir

Kedua-dua pengadu, Mustaffa Kamil dan Chegubard menafikan menerima jawapan balas daripada JPP dan menyifatkan kenyataan itu sebagai satu “penipuan.” Malah menurut CheguBard, surat terakhir beliau bertarikh 10 Februari lalu kepada Biro Politik juga tidak dijawab.

oleh Fazy Sahir di Free Malaysia Today

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Siasatan terhadap aduan yang dikemukakan kepada Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Pusat (JPP) membabitkan salah laku sepanjang pemilihan PKR pada November lalu telah selesai.

Menurut sumber dalaman JPP, bagi aduan yang melibatkan sebarang pergaduhan, perkara itu telah dibawa kepada perhatian Biro Disiplin parti.

Manakala bagi aduan-aduan yang melibatkan pemimpin seperti Pengarah Latihan, Mustaffa Kamil Ayub dan Badrul Hisham Shaharin (CheguBard) perkara itu dianggap selesai.

Sepanjang pemilihan Majlis Pimpinan Pusat (MPP) dijalankan sebanyak 18 aduan telah dikemukakan kepada JPP manakala bagi pemilihan cabang pula sebanyak 289 aduan.

Sumber itu berkata, JPP memandang serius setiap aduan yang dikemukakan dan inkuiri telah dibuat dan kemudian akan diserahkan kepada MPP.

JPP bersidang setiap minggu

“Semua aduan yang kami terima telah disiasat dan sudah selesai. Kes-kes atau aduan yang melibatkan pergaduhan kami telah bawa kepada Biro Disiplin dan tindakan yang sepatutnya telah diambil. Boleh dikatakan setiap minggu JPP bersidang dan membuat inkuiri bagi aduan tersebut.

“Aduan-aduan itu akan melalui proses penilaian dan keputusan. Pertama, kita akan bawa dalam mesyuarat MPP. Kemudian Biro Disiplin dan akhir sekali kepada Biro Politik. Jika aduan serta kes itu serius maka anggota berkenaan akan disyorkan dipecat daripada parti.

“Tentang aduan CheguBard, jawapan balas secara rasmi sudah dihantar kepada beliau minggu lepas. Manakala aduan Mustaffa Kamil juga telah dijawab oleh JPP,” kata sumber itu kepada FMT.

Menurut sumber terbabit, kini parti dalam persiapan untuk mengadakan pemilihan semula membabitkan cabang-cabang seperti Kapar, Subang, Klang, Jerai dan Kuala Langat tetapi pada tarikh yang berbeza.

Pemilihan semula bagi cabang Kapar, Subang dan Klang ditetapkan pada 13 Mac manakala cabang Jerai (26 Mac) dan Kuala Langat (27 Mac). Hanya cabang Batu Sapi sahaja yang belum menetapkan tarikh.

Ini bermakna cabang-cabang berkenaan akan mengadakan Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan Cabang (MATC) sekali lagi, berikutan masalah kelemahan logistik, teknikal, mahupun berlaku pergaduhan.

JPP didakwa menipu

FMT menghubungi kedua-dua pengadu, Mustaffa Kamil dan Chegubard dan mereka menafikan menerima jawapan balas daripada JPP dan menyifatkan kenyataan itu sebagai satu “penipuan.”

Malah menurut CheguBard, surat terakhir beliau bertarikh 10 Februari lalu kepada Biro Politik juga tidak dijawab.

“Saya tidak terima sebarang jawapan balas daripada JPP. Maknanya JPP menipu. Saya dah tulis surat pada 10 Februari lepas dan itu adalah kemuncak penggunaan saluran dalaman untuk menjawab semua aduan-aduan saya,” katanya yang dihubungi FMT.

Sementara itu, Mustaffa berkata beliau akan berbincang dengan jawatankuasa berhubung aduannya dan bercadang untuk mengadakan perbincangan semula dengan JPP dan Setiausaha Agung PKR Saifuddin Nasution.

“Saya ada menerima berita perkembangan daripada Pengerusi JPP Dr Molly Cheah tapi setakat ini tiada sebarang jawapan yang mereka maksudkan itu,” katanya.

Mustaffa pada November tahun lalu membuat aduan sebanyak 162 salah laku kepada JPP.

Under pressure to wrap up seat talks - Zefry Dahalan

Insiders say they don’t relish the thought of having Azmin negotiate for PKR if Anwar goes to jail.

by Zefry Dahalan at Free Malaysia Today

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Pakatan Rakyat insiders expect a lot of acrimony among the parties of the alliance in their negotiations for seats to contest in the coming general election unless the horse trading is settled before Anwar Ibrahim goes to jail.

They say Anwar is second to none when it comes to negotiating skills, but they fear that it is almost certain that he will be convicted for sodomy, given the Najib administration’s determination to put him out of action.

That means, according to the insiders, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali will take over as chief negotiator for his party, and they say Azmin does not command much respect from other Pakatan leaders.

Indeed, he has already angered some PAS leaders with a recent statement accusing the Islamic party of eyeing seats that PKR claims as its own.

PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali, for instance, has effectively told him to shut up, according to the daily Sinar Harian.

Anwar, said a PAS source, must “sort out the seat allocation issues” before the end of his sodomy trial, which is expected to be wrapped up next month.

The sources also said the Pakatan leadership had divided the electoral seats into three categories.

Won seats are those that the opposition won in the 2008 election. The parties that won them will contest them again in the next election.

Popular seats are seats that the opposition lost in 2008, but where the candidates who stood there are popular and have increased their grassroots support since. It will be status quo for these seats as
well.

The rest are open seats. Here, at least two parties in Pakatan have equal chances and these are the seats that will come under intense negotiation.

It is not known how Pakatan will treat the seats currently occupied by defectors from PKR and DAP.

A senior PAS leader told FMT that he felt these seats should go to the parties that won them in 2008. “A party should not be penalised for the irresponsible behaviour of an individual,” he said.

PAS eyes mixed seats, fireworks in Pakatan - Zefry Dahalan

Finding it difficult to break Umno's dominance in Malay areas, PAS is now encroaching into PKR and DAP's territories.

by Zefry Dahalan at Free Malaysia Today

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With the 13th general election looming, fireworks are expected between Pakatan Rakyat component parties regarding seat negotiations.

According to sources, this is mainly because PAS is expected to make two demands.

The first, said a source, is the Islamic party will request for seats contested by former PKR reps who have since quit the party to become independents.

The seats on PAS’ radar screen are Kulim Bandar Baru, Padang Serai, Bagan Serai and Bayan Baru, whose incumbents crossed swords with the PKR leadership and put in their resignation letters.

“The PAS grassroots are arguing that it will be better to let PAS contest these seats since PKR representatives jump ship easily,” the source told FMT.

The second demand, he said, will be mixed-populated seats contested by PKR during the 12th general election.

Even though PAS contested in several racially-mixed urban seats such as the Shah Alam and Kota Raja parliamentary seats, PKR contested in the majority of them during the last election.

This time around, PAS is expected to demand more of such seats as the party has found it difficult to break Umno’s monopoly in rural areas, except in Kelantan and Kedah.

Remember what happened in 1959?

Meanwhile, a PKR MP, who declined to be named, asked PAS not to get “overly emotional” regarding the leaders who left the party.

“Yes, we admit that these leaders let us down. But it’s unfair to deny PKR the chance to contest those seats again based on such incidents.

“PAS must understand that it too went through a similar crisis in the early stages of the party’s formation during the 1950s.

“Remember how the Terengganu PAS state government collapsed despite the party winning 13 state seats in the 1959 general election? This was because three PAS reps joined Umno with another three reps from Parti Negara,” he told FMT.

He said that PKR has undergone a “cleansing process” of problematic leaders and will bounce back stronger in the next general election.

“So PAS should not use this as an excuse to try and snatch our seats,” he added.

PAS leaders, namely its deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, have urged state PAS leaders to contest in mixed areas, where Chinese voters are the deciding factor.

‘Creating fissures in Pakatan’

Commenting on this, a state PAS leader, who wished to remain anonymous, said Nasharuddin has been “roaming” nationwide, attending seminars, to spread this message.

“He has asked us to push for such seats either from PKR or DAP in order to increase PAS’ seat tally both at the federal and state levels.

“Nasharuddin believes that PAS can win these seats easily because the Chinese totally reject Barisan Nasional (BN),” he said.

However, the PAS state leader is uncomfortable with the idea, warning that it can cause friction between the Pakatan parties.

“Who is going to fight in rural areas if everybody wants to contest in urban and semi-urban seats?” he asked.

Instead of encroaching into the traditional domains of PKR and DAP, the PAS leader suggested that his party leadership formulate new strategies to break Umno’s dominance in Malay majority areas.

“Nasharuddin’s suggestion is a step backwards. I call it a short cut to success,” he said.

He also questioned if Nasharuddin has an ulterior motive since he is one of the main figures in the unity government proposal with Umno, which was shot down by PAS’ spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

“Perhaps Nasharuddin is attempting to drive a wedge between the Pakatan parties. I believe that the unity government idea is still brewing despite the leaders involved denying it,” he added.

On the same note, he said there still can be a win-win situation if PKR agrees to give up or swap seats with PAS.

“It is okay if the seats belong to us and we gave it to PKR, but the party failed to make inroads for two consecutive general elections or if the seats are swapped,” he added.

Losing Indian support: Pakatan must blame itself - Athi Shankar

The coalition should not pin the blame on its political rival BN, says a DAP leader.

by Athi Shankar at Free Malaysia Today

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Pakatan Rakyat should blame itself for the loss of Indian support and not others, said a local DAP leader.

Jalan Bagan Luar DAP branch head G Asoghan said Pakatan should get rid of its denial syndrome and stop blaming Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Pakatan should reflect on whether it had done enough to maintain the overwhelming Indian support shown for the coalition in the 2008 general election,” he told FMT.

He blamed the Pakatan state governments in Penang, Kedah and Selangor, as well as the coalition’s top leaders and Indian elected representatives for the decline.

Pakatan governments, he said, should have implemented various programmes within its administrative powers and financial capacities to benefit the Indian community.

He pointed out that Pakatan should have used state powers on land matters to resolve the landless status of Tamil schools, Hindu temples, burial grounds, crematoriums and Indian residential areas.

Instead of this, he said, Pakatan governments demolished Indian settlements like Kampung Buah Pala in Penang and the Ladang Batu Pekaka Hindu cemetery in Kuala Ketil, Kedah.

“How can Pakatan expect Indian support when it emulates the BN administration?” he asked.

‘Get your act together’

In view of this, Asoghan called on Pakatan decision-makers and strategists to get their act together and address the issue.

“Or else, Pakatan can kiss goodbye to Putrajaya,” he said.

He was referring to the recent call by DAP vice-chairman and Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran for Pakatan to woo back Indian support.

Kulasegaran warned that Pakatan’s ambition of capturing Putrajaya would hit a brick wall if did not arrest the declining support of Malay and Indian voters.

Asoghan said Pakatan for a start should not have adopted the mandore politics ala BN.

He said chief ministers, relevant executive councillors and elected representatives should have directly addressed and resolved arising Indian issues.

He said Pakatan’s argument that its state governments needed more time to perform also did not go down well with the Indian masses.

He added that grassroots Indians have pointed out that during the same short period, Pakatan governments carried out beneficial programmes for the Malays and Chinese.

Asoghan also did not mince his words when taking a swipe at Pakatan’s Indian elected representatives, comprising 10 MPs and 17 assemblymen.

He criticised them for failing to form a community caucus at the national and state levels within the coalition as desired by working class Indians.

Through this caucus, he said, Indian elected representatives could have formulated and recommended constructive policies for implementation.

Sore Ronnie calls Wan Azizah a ‘liar’ - Luke Rintod

Sabah PKR has landed itself in trouble again, this time over a comment by its president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

by Luke Rintod at Free Malaysia Today

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Barely hours after interim Sabah PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail announced a state revamp and the formation of 12 committees in preparation for the coming general election, she has s been called a “liar”.

Sabah PKR former communication director, Ronnie Klassen, has taken offence to Wan Azizah’s claim that his post was “non-existent” and that he was “self-appointed”.

“Wan Azizah today issued a press statement in the local news media in Sabah saying that the ‘post of communications director of Sabah PKR does not exist, there was no such post and there never was’. She stated that I self-appointed myself to the post.

“Today I am saying Wan Azizah is a liar because in July 2009, I was offered the post, and it took me two weeks to decide on it.

“On Aug 2, 2009, when Azmin Ali (then Sabah PKR chief) called for a press conference in Sandakan in his first state liaison meeting, he announced my appointment as communication director on the advice of de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim; so she lied,” Klassen told reporters here today.

Klassen, who took Wan Azizah to task not only for lying but for her unappreciative attitude, claimed that all this while Wan Azizah, Anwar and almost everyone in PKR leadership realised and acknowledged his role as its communication director in Sabah.

“She even congratulated me after I gave a speech during a meeting with jobless Sabahans, which I and the DAP, organised in Petaling Jaya in April 2010. I was called to the stage as Sabah PKR communication director. Lim Kit Siang was also there.

“I was not under PKR payroll. My key people and myself sacrificed time for this cause.

“So Wan Azizah’s words were a shock to me after 18 months in the post. I served under Azmin and (later) Ahmad Thamrin Jaini as well as under Pajudin Nordin’s brief tenure as state PKR chief,” he said.

Weighing his options

On the insinuation by Wan Azizah that he was not acting for PKR when he lodged a police report against the self-proclaimed Sulu sultan Akjan Muhammad Ali on Feb 11, Klassen said he and Dr Chong Eng Leong did so as responsible Malaysian citizens.

“But by saying I acted on a personal basis, does this mean PKR leadership is agreeing to the proclamation of a Sulu sultan here in Sabah?” he asked.

He also denied that he was a sore loser because, like his close friend Ansari Abdullah (Tuaran chief), he was not part of Wan Azizah’s newly minted 12-member presidential council announced earlier today.

Klassen said he could not understand why after 18 months of hard work, Wan Azizah had decided to brush aside his role as if it never mattered or existed.

“In the 18 months, a lot of functions had been organised by PKR and in some I was invited as a speaker. I was announced as the communication director. Now suddenly she said there was no such post.

“Invitations to PKR press conferences had always been extended by me as the communication director,” he added.

He said he even organised a dialogue with about 150 young professionals with PKR adviser Anwar Ibrahim at the Kinabalu Club in September 2009, soon after he assumed his role.

According to Klassen, he was tasked by the central leadership to open the mind of young people to PKR struggles and he thought he did the best for the party.

But the latest incident has forced him to review his situation.

“I am weighing my option, but I will stick with the opposition side.”

“I’ve managed to accumulate close to 100,000 followers online.

“At any one time there are one million people who could receive any message from me through my Facebook, blog and e-mails,” Klassen claimed.

SNAP’s return haunts Taib and PKR - Joe Fernandez

All this has brought the current political situation in Sarawak full circle, with SNAP once again virtually calling the shots. The party stands poised as the most credible threat to the ruling coalition and well-placed to deny it the 29 Dayak state seats.

by Joe Fernandez at Free Malaysia Today

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Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, by all accounts, is thinking of going for state election sooner rather than later. This is being driven by the SNAP factor. The Sarawak National Party’s rapidly growing influence since its recent rejuvenation indicates that the Dayak majority of Sarawak is becoming increasingly restless. Taib, being a Melanau, is also a Dayak, but he’s from a Muslim minority.

Taib, according to one report, is fumbling “like a man driven berserk” for an election date in March or April. The speculation is that any date with a 9 in it, or which adds up to 9, such as 18 or 27, would be the date of the next state election. Nine is Taib’s favourite number.

With events on the Sarawak ground rapidly spinning out of control, he can no longer afford the luxury of waiting for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to accept his idea of the Sarawak election running simultaneously with the general election, which, according to his thinking, would take the intense opposition heat off him. This is especially true in the Chinese and urban areas, in many Dayak seats and some Muslim seats.

No such luck for Taib. Najib, with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad breathing down his neck, is more interested in saving in own skin than swimming or sinking with the Sarawak chief minister. He may well remember Mahathir raising the hand of then Sabah Chief Minister Harris Salleh in public in 1985 and pledging to swim or sink with the Harris’s Berjaya Party. Harris sank, but Mahathir swam safely to shore.

Najib, whom Kelantan strongman Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah once described as yellow-bellied, is more inclined to treat Taib as a guinea pig in his bid for his own mandate. The number of state seats that Taib’s coalition can muster will give Najib an idea of how many of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak he can count on when it is his turn to face the people.

In Sarawak 2011, there are shades of Sabah 1985, when the 45-day-old Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) defeated the mighty Berjaya. Even Harris lost his deposit at the hands of the unknown Kadoh Agundong.

Senior Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders grudgingly concede that SNAP currently presents the most serious threat to Taib’s Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and its hold on power. DAP is a threat only to the Chinese-based Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), which Taib may be forced to sacrifice anyway to fend off the opposition and to better focus on what he can keep.

What particularly rankles Taib is that Daniel Tajem anak Miri, a sworn enemy, is back in the limelight as SNAP adviser. Tajem, once deputy chief minister under Taib, was a senior leader in SNAP until 1983, when it suffered a breakup that gave birth to Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), evidently financed by PBB moneybags under Taib’s direction.

Deeply suspicious

Taib, still deeply suspicious that the Dayaks would unite and overthrow his family’s dynastic hold on power, also financed the splintering of PBDS after Tajem became its president in 2003. The breakaway was Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) under James Masing. Only 20,000 members from PBDS, less than half of them Dayaks, joined Masing.

PBDS itself was deregistered and attempts by Tajem to gather his people, numbering over 100,000 by a conservative count, under the Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) was thwarted by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on “national security grounds”.

Tajem parked himself at the Sarawak PKR as adviser.

The rump SNAP was further humiliated when PBB financed the breakaway Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) in 2002 under William Mawan. SNAP was kicked out of Sarawak BN the day the ROS deregistered it. The courts subsequently saved SNAP after many months.

Taib tried to have PRS deregistered as well between the 2004 and 2008 general elections. However, then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stepped in and saved the party just as he was going for the early polls that eventually cooked his goose.

SPDP has also suffered at the hands of Taib’s mischief-making, which saw half its legislators swearing allegiance to Masing and making bids to join PRS.

All this has brought the current political situation in Sarawak full circle, with SNAP once again virtually calling the shots. The party stands poised as the most credible threat to the ruling coalition and well-placed to deny it the 29 Dayak state seats.

Harsh reality

Now Taib’s past is haunting his future.

Sarawak PKR would obviously like to have some of the Dayak seats besides the two Chinese seats promised it by DAP under a condition which is unlikely to be met. DAP wants PKR’s Dominic Ng of Padungan put in cold storage.

SNAP, however, wants Sarawak PKR to focus on the Muslim seats, including the Muslim Melanau seats, and stay clear of the non-Muslim native seats. This is unlikely to go down well with Sarawak PKR, which is led by introvert land rights lawyer and activist Baru Bian, a Dayak Christian.

At one time, there was strong talk that Bian would ditch PKR for SNAP, but this became difficult after he was appointed head of the party’s Sarawak chapter.

In any case, Sarawak PKR has yet to come to terms with the harsh reality that it no longer calls the shots in Sarawak Pakatan Rakyat. Taib has capitalised on this by advising businessman Sng Chee Hua to offer to finance PKR candidates at the next state election. The condition is that Sng would suggest who would represent PKR.

This arrangement is likely to end in disaster for PKR at the polls, especially if the party insists on fielding candidates in Dayak seats.

Sng is a former deputy president of PRS and former deputy president of PBDS when Masing, in defiance of Tajem, claimed to be the party president as well. This was after Leo Moggie anak Irok stepped down in 2003.

Sng’s son Larry is a party-less assistant minister in Taib’s Cabinet – after his claim to be PRS president failed – and is married to the daughter of construction tycoon Ting Pek King. The younger Sng holds the majority Iban Pelagus seat, which “belongs” to PRS under the Sarawak BN quota system.

Lip service won’t do, Anwar - K Pragalath

“The man Pakatan Rakyat wants to install as prime minister only talks and makes empty promises. He should fulfill his election pledges. He’s the Selangor economic advisor and should learn how to deliver instead of embarking on a road show.” - N. Gobalakrishnan

by K Pragalath at Free Malaysia Today

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Former PKR strongman N Gobalakrishnan said that the party is doomed to failure because its leader Anwar Ibrahim was only good at paying lip service and not delivering on his promises.

“The man Pakatan Rakyat wants to install as prime minister only talks and makes empty promises. He should fulfill his election pledges.

“He’s the Selangor economic advisor and should learn how to deliver instead of embarking on a road show,” said Gobalakrishnan as he continued his barrage of criticism against the opposition leader and former boss.

Comparing Anwar to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, the now independent MP for Padang Serai, said Anwar does not go down on the ground to listen to the people problems and resolve issues affecting them.

Gobalakrishnan said this is why party members and representatives are dissappointed and have left the left the party as they were made to feel like orphans.

“Why are only PKR leaders leaving the party unlike in PAS and DAP?” he asked.

“I’ll tell you why,” he said in a quick reply to his self-imposed question, “It is because the party does not listen its grassroots leaders.

“They are ignored and made to feel like orphans who have been abandoned. PKR has become a laughing stock in the country’s political landscape.”

Unlike the PKR leadership, Gobalakrishnan said PAS’ Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat had always emphasised on its state assemblypersons and MPs to take interest in the welfare its party members.

Based on his own experience, the 51-year-old first-term parliamentarian said that funds for his Padang Serai constituency were channelled to PAS.

“Anwar didn’t dare ask PAS for funds on my behalf, but he openly criticise Barisan Nasional for not disbursing it to opposition MPs ,” explained Gobalakrishnan.

Bian no match for Sng’s money, connections - Free Malaysia Today

Pressure is piling on Bian to heed calls for him join to SNAP instead of staying on in PKR now that Sng Chee Hua has entered the picture.

by FMT Staff at Free Malaysia Today

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Should Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian and company continue to place their trust in the party now that money-bags Sng Chee Hua has “openly” moved into the game?

It’s a question that is being bandied about here and in Sarawak ever since Sng’s “secretive” breakfast meeting with PKR de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim last weekend.

For one thing, Bian was not invited to Sng’s pre-arranged breakfast chat lending credence to a commonly-held view that Kuala Lumpur has no respect for Bian and his role.

What was so secretive about the discussion between Anwar and Sng that they couldn’t have Bian sitting in?

Rumour has it that it was all money talk. Speculations are rife that Anwar is busy “sourcing” for money in Sabah and Sarawak to secure Azmin Ali’s leadership and the party’s depleted coffers.

Sng is within Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s circle. His son Larry Sng, 32, holds two Assistant Minister portfolios in Taib’s Cabinet.

Taib is said to have a soft spot for Larry who, despite being a partyless Pelagus assemblyman, has had Taib’s indirect blessings to contest in the coming state polls.

But Taib has also said that he will not take in independents, who won seats in the polls, into BN. This leaves ample room for father Sng to negotiate a package befitting his son and Anwar.

(Incidentally, Larry’s father-in-law is prominent Sarawak businessman and also Taib ally, Ting Phek Khing.)

Sng is already reported to be “deciding on and financing” PKR’s 15 candidates in Sarawak subject to certain “terms and conditions”’

Whatever are the terms, it is expected to work well for both Taib and Anwar. Likewise, in Sabah it is said that it is all part of a “strategy” which saw Chief Minister Musa Aman recently “receive” with open arms former state PKR leader Pajudin Nordin, who is with Ansari Abdullah, who in turn is Azmin’s pointman in Sabah. Pajudin’s move to Umno was sudden.

Clear threat

Bian unfortunately is not among Sng’s “must haves”.

In fact, in Sarawak PKR, Sng and his money is a clear threat to Bian’s influence among the Dayak and Chinese members.

“We are worried. With Sng there is now a change in status quo between Bian and Anwar. He won’t be able to fight Sng’s money and his association with Anwar and Taib.

“Bian and his supporters don’t have the muscle to take on both Sng and Taib,” a source said, adding that Bian was also having problems within the rank and file in the party.

According to another insider, Bian was not PKR central leadership”s first choice.

“He was the third choice… there isn’t a big pool of capable Dayak leaders in Sarawak.

“And when KL decided on him… the Muslims were angry.

“Within Sarawak PKR itself, there are three factions… one led by Sng, the other by Muslim members, and now he has to contend with a re-emerging SNAP (Sarawak Nasional Party),” said the insider.

Not accepted

Sarawak PKR Youth chief Ahmad Nazib Johari, when contacted about the factions, said that he too was aware of the rumours.

He admitted to an “initial discomfort” with Bian’s appointment.

“Yes, there were issues when Bian was appointed… I believe there are still some who are not comfortable.

“But we’ve generally accepted the top level leadership’s decision and are looking at the bigger picture.

“I don’t think it is a problem anymore… as our enemy is the Barisan Nasional and as a party, we are focused on bringing them down,” Ahmad Nazib told FMT in Kuching.

Another Muslim PKR member, however, had a terse response when asked about Bian:

“Bian is not a leader… he is a bigot who should not be leading the party.”

Meanwhile, Bian is struggling with the threat posed by the re-emergence of SNAP and its willingness to be inclusive.

Further damaging to Bian is “iconic” Dayak, Daniel Tajem’s unequivocal support for SNAP.

Respected voice

Tajem, who was among the key people who set up the now defunct Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), was once described by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) chief Yong Teck Lee as “the icon of Dayak politics”.

In fact, at PKR’s fifth national assembly 2008 in Selangor, Anwar liked Tajem to the “star” in Dayak politics.

Tajem, a diplomat, is a much respected voice among the Dayaks and his call in recent weeks for Dayaks to return to SNAP, which gave Sarawak its first chief minister in Stephen Kalong Ningkan, is troubling for Bian and the state PKR.

Tajem has his own diehard fans within Sarawak’s PKR and many are in two minds about staying on in the party.

Said a SNAP insider: “SNAP is crystalising its strength and rapidly gaining support… it’s tapping Dayaks across the country.”

“Bian should join SNAP. Now is the time for him to realise his worth… SNAP is prepared to field him as a candidate.

“Our doors are open to him but Bian must decide. What is important now is straight fights with BN in all the constituencies,” the insider said.

While admitting to Bian’s strength on native customary rights (NCR) land issue, the insider said “land issue alone is now insufficient”.

“The folk in Lun Bawang like him and he’s known for his work with land cases… but that’s it. It’s not enough in a bigger political fight to administer Sarawak.

“This is the big opportunity… the opposition must offer workable alternatives to poverty and practical infrasructural development,” said the insider, referring to the majority of Sarawak’s over 60% Dayak community who are still trapped in poverty despite the state being rich in natural resources.