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Friday, September 28, 2001

Barisan set to retain Sarawak

KUCHING: Barisan Nasional is swiftly sailing the rivers of Sarawak to a landslide victory in spite of marginal fights in about a dozen seats as the voters cast their ballots today.

Without much doubt, the voters are expected to give the coalition a two-thirds majority and have state leader Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud as Chief Minister for a fifth term.

However, in the last 24 hours before the nine-day campaigning came to a halt at midnight in this eighth state elections, a nagging feeling remains in the Barisan camp on the question of a clean sweep.

Although four seats were already won uncontested, the Barisan leaders do not want to take for granted the unpredictable political waters that may snap some upsets.

The leaders of Barisan coalition parties, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Sarawak, Sarawak United People's Party, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak and Sarawak National Party, cannot say for certain if two to seven seats might slip through their hands.

Hoping to make an historic breakthrough by collecting several Malay seats are a group of 42 independents networking under an acronym ABU, loosely meaning Angkatan or Abang Bawa Umno, and Parti Keadilan Nasional.

The ABU group, led by former Defence Minister Datuk Abang Abu Bakar Mustapha, is campaigning silently on a wish-note of bringing Umno to Sarawak. The group thinks at least 20 seats will fall to their lap.

Their dream is to capture Asajaya where Abu Bakar is facing PPB newcomer Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah after Taib moved to Balingian and Keadilan's Abdullah Daraup in a three cornered tussle.

Caught in a dilemma in the close fight for this seat are the Malay voters who also have a tough decision to make in Pantai Damai, Demak Laut, Tupong, Satok, Semariang, Muara Tuang, Sadong Jaya and Simunjan.

Eyeing 25 seats, Keadilan leaders predict their loud ceramahs of confronting alleged injustice, corruption and perceived nepotism will sway Barisan votes away in the seats of Pantai Damai, Semariang and Simunjan.

They expect the Malay voters to copy the feat of DAP in the 1996 elections when it penetrated the Barisan wall by winning three Chinese seats - Bukit Assek, Pelawan and Kidurong - for the first time in the 62-member state legislative assembly.

Again banking on sympathy votes in Chinese areas by keeping its campaign low keyed without any rocket posters or banners in Sibu, DAP is publicly saying that it is the underdog in Bukit Assek, Palawan, Kidurong and Padungan.

But intelligence reports say that DAP is likely to win those four seats.

SUPP leaders, who feel gamblers and gangsters will have little impact on the 16 of their 17 remaining candidates, concedeKidurong might have to be written off but not the other seats.

SUPP is confident of a Chinese voter swing going in its favour despite DAP's sudden divorce with PAS because of the Islamic state issue in the wake of the global scenario following the terrorist attacks on America.

PAS, in three seats, is seen to be out of contention in this state polls where a record number of 171 candidates kicked up a lot of dirt.

Not aligned to any opposition group is former political secretary Kebing Wan who has the edge over educationist Lihan Jok, of PBB, in the Orang Ulu seat of Telang Usan. The independent hopes to repeat his 1996 performance of being the only one stopping PBB from sweeping clean its 30 contested seats.

SNAP leaders who see Limbang and Meluan seats as grey spots in the party's remaining line-up of four also expect to scrapethrough.

In Marudi and Krian, SNAP is also seen as having to work harder to convince voters to support its candidates.

From its list of seven contenders left in the race, PBDS leaders feel no amount of money can take away the Iban voters from supporting their selected candidates.

The Bidayuh voters may have a difficult time choosing between Barisan's new candidate Dr Jerip Susil of SUPP and opposition State Reform Party chief Dr Patau Rubis in Bengoh.

Tanjung Datu, another Bidayuh area, appears to be tough for SUPP new candidate Ranum Mina who needs the support of the 34% Malay voters.

The overall voter turnout is likely to be telling a point on the performance of the Barisan parties which garnered a total 580,543 popular votes in the last polls with a turnout of 64.18%

In this polls, the voter turnout is likely to be lower than 75% hoped for by the Elections Commission when the 62-member state legislative assembly dissolved on Sept 3. Barisan candidates expect it to be to their advantage.

Given the remote vastness of Sarawak, the size of the peninsula, they admit their respective party workers with better transport facilities would bring out more of the 876,484 registered voters inclined towards the dacing.

Even though each of the Barisan parties won one uncontested seat each on Sept 18 nomination day compared to a total of 19 the last time, they do not expect the voters to let down a stable coalition government.

Their view is that a disunited opposition will be unable to fare any better than the 1996 outcome -- when Barisan 57 won seats, DAP three and independents two - to hold back Barisan cruising the waves of the rivers.

Taib and his Sarawak Barisan team is set to romp home to form a new government tonight.

Source: The Star

Add your

Sunday, September 30, 2001

Voters give opposition the boot

Barisan ‘brand’ strikes the right chord

Sarawak sends a strong signal

Winners must prove their worth

All abuzz over Judat’s victory
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