The Borneo Post carried an election headline today – Blow to Jawah’s bid. This kind of news are expected in election and most readers would expect such a news. How much is that worth if we convert that into votes? Check the Polling Station here.
Morning coffee
The morning starts with a positive note from our candidate over at the BN corner. After not having proper meal yesterday, he is getting a good warm coffee today to start the 5th day of intensive campaign. Chocolate, bro for the energy!
Over at the PKR corner, it was a dissapointing evening for Jawah Gerang and his team yesterday. No, I don’t think it has to do with April Fool’s Day. Here are some recorded event from PKR yesterday. The sequence of event has not been cooked for the BN leaders to read.
Trekking Anwar at Batang Ai
Berikut nota yang dihantar oleh seorang penyumbang Sarawak Update dari Lubok Antu yang mengikuti pergerakan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim di Lubok Antu pada 1 April, 2009.
01 April 2009 5.00 ptg : Pudai
Anwar mahu adakan ceramah tetapi Tuai Rumah Jamit, di Kampung Pudai tidak setuju. Anwar terpaksa berpatah balik ke pasar Lubok Antu. Kena penangan April Fool dari masyarakat Dayak beliau hari ini.
01 April 2009 6.30 mlm : Pasar Lubok Antu
Anwar serta gerombolannya cuba mengumpul orang di masjid Lubok Antu, tetapi penduduk tidak mahu hadir. Tidak sampai 50 orang yang hadir, termasuk Dominique Ng dan Jawah Gerang. Majoriti konco-konco Anwar sendiri.
01 April 2009 8.30 mlm : Kutai
Anwar pergi ke markas PKR di Kampung Kutai, Lubok Antu. Ceramah beliau cuma dihadiri oleh petugas-petugas PKR, pengikut-pengikut Anwar serta pembodek-pembodek berkereta besar yang mengharapkan peluang untuk bertanding dalam pilihanraya negeri akan datang. Kereta yang diletakkan di bahu jalan semua kereta besar yg tidak dikenali, bukan kereta penduduk tempatan. Orang-orang Kampung Kutai pun tidak datang.
Nota:
Sebuah lori milik abang kepada Jawah, Tuai Rumah Lepang anak Gerang juga sudah dilihat menanggalkan bendera PKR atas sebab-sebab yang tidak diketahui. Jawah juga tidak mendapat keizinan dari Tuai Rumah Kelinsing untuk berkempen di Kampung Sekarok.
Uchu Keling says : The three longhouses reported by Borneo Post was a BN territory. Jawah was a BN MP there before he switched camp to join PKR. Hence, it is politically correct for the Tuai Rumah to make their stand on their support.
The lorry owned by TR. Lepang is his private property and he have his rights on who to support. Blood runs thicker than water, but it doesn’t mean we share the same ideology.
Development
I know this paragraph will catch your attention because it has been so, all over this blog. PKR have not come up the stage and explain to the rakyat on HOW they will administer Batang Ai, if it comes under their administration. All the PKR have been saying is to ask the rakyat to give them a chance and vote for Jawah.
The rakyat are smart and intelligence as mentioned by PKR. Yes, they are smart and they demand answers to their questions, too.
How could we ask someone to vote for us and not knowing what will happen next. They too need to consider what would happen to them in the next two years before the next state election comes.
The rakyat do not vote blindly either to BN or PKR.
If I give you the public office, what are you going to do in your administration. Let’s go beyond the normal VOTE for CHANGE, CHANGE WE MUST battle cry.
If you can’t write it here, please blog it elsewhere and tell us. We are reading. List down what have PKR done in Perak and Selangor (to the Iban).. Give us the links and printed document to proof. Then only your campaign is solid. At the moment, we also can say its hearsay, lah!
If we vote for you, what will you do for us and how are you going to do it?
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Hmm, not playing fair are we.
Actually, local government servicses have improved in Selangor, there is more transparency in Govt dealings (read Exco assets) and promotion of meritocracy. Also, there is more community and citizen inclsive fora to solve disputes and plan development together. Do we see this in Sarawak yet? Err, no. NGOs are branded public enemy, we know the civil service (yes even the mmultiracial State one) is race-preference, still no piped water (horrors! Check the BP MSM report you linked to) etc, etc.
Baru 1 tahun memerintah, but we do see a lot of positive changes in the way things are done in Selangor (of course, being new, there are also some oopsies). But what can be said about 45 years being promised devleopment time and time again (in every election) but still can’t provide full electricity (again, in Batang Ai, of all places!). And for an area that has a water catchment size that is bigger than Singapore, simple bekalan air luar bandar (that is d official term) can’t even be provided! Where is all d janji bro?
So, before this blog loses its objectivty and resort to pure blind idealogical faith (which bends with the tide and the tidings politics can bring), may I too suggest that the party in incumbency list down too (much as you want PKR to do) to list the things it WILL do for the people of BA (I stress will and not pledge) and just to make it interesting, perhaps a list of what they have done for the ppl of BA or any dayak region in Swk for the past 45 years so that we can compare. It will be fun.
BA – no hospital, places with no letrik, nadai ai paip, no coverage, secondary school(?), etc…hmmm.
I will try to support this blog – provided it is objective (fair game tembak both sides) like what audie61, thebrokenshield and borneo-warrior does.
Till then…
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Hi UK,
Granted, you are like so many of us, seeking answers.
I think if only the by-election rules allow manifesto-type declarations, then we can see at least a document of promises for the rakyat eh. But I don’t think this by-election warrants one (rules I think).
Yes, it’s good to hope for some sort of publicity/announcement on what has been done by the rakyat but I don’t think the coverage reaches Sarawak yet. The MSM in Sarawak maybe suffers from a blanket ban on anything PR but at least here the Star, and NST has snippets here and there on possible advancements. The Sun/Edge has substantail more coverage but there are also able to play fair by hentaming what they see is wrong with PR (unlike a certain state in East Msia haha). Of course tv is out and the blogs (well, what can I say, it’s all just politics though I think anilnetto.com is more often than not very objective, he calls a spade a spade. Maybe, if the state government agenvies can show thru their websites the improvements they have made and compare the processes, achievements, now and then…but, I think it will be just too time consuming (got better things to do).
Hmm, maybe PKR this time around is not able to promise anything concrete, or if they are promising anything, it will like mimpi to achieve them. More or less like BN. But at least, the promises made are of something that is new. People want to see, to believe, to hope in something new.
Perhaps, people are just too tired to hear old, recycled, unfulfilled promises by the same people, time and time again? Unfulfilled promises is one thing, but blatantly makanking/siphoning off the people to make yourself (not you, this is a generic term) richer, while the rakyat (well, I won’t say suffer, but enda mansang properly) is another, no?
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Agreed it would be good to know specifically what each side could offer – but after 45 years does it really matter anymore? Another 5 years (may be 5-2 now) with ADUN Mussen, what difference can Batang Ai get?
Besides, we have the maggie mee… just fantastic. Please don’t say no, take it.
On the other hand with the vocal PKR ADUN Jawah, we will definitely see some differences. At least now he will no longer be using the silencer – vocal as he is, he will shoot like Clint Eastwood in the Dewan. Lets not just think for Batang Ai but the entire Dayaks/Ibans. Jawah and Adit will create waves of change.
About time that Ibans/Dayaks deserve some respects, not merely pawns or pala ikan puso who can be bought and bullied until the cow come home.
CHANGE cannot be done over night, but a change is good. What more to say if the changes potentially include better prospects for NCR, less corruption, more genuine & sincere help to the poor Dayaks/Ibans, we can use word Allah, no more classified as (Melayu, Cina, India, DLL (Dayaks/Iban)in public forms, my friend who live in KL tell West Malaysians that his race is DLL until today, what a shame, no respect!etc, etc…
Nama tu deh? – if I sound like a PKR supporter, it is by coincident, really, as I am NOT their supporter. I am a neutral partyless! My affliation is more to BN but partyless nonetheless. May be what I wish to see that concern Dayaks/Ibans peole are much more closely identified with what Jawah and team want to see happening.
Then why can’t our BN dayaks leaders step forward and tell us about the changes to help the community? I mean sincerely helping – unconditional. Treat the people fairly. Correct all the wrongs, the list is long, if you don’t know, just go to the old postings at DayakBaru or I could at least contribute 10 items, but lets juat name 2 here:
Top of the list – for easy reference is to survey and give title to all NCR lands – no more lousy excuses!
Secondly, elevate the socio-economic status of Dayaks to reflect population %. If Bumiputras have achieved 19% equity under NEP, then the 19% should be also applied to Dayaks based on ratio of population. Right now Dayak equity is ZERO, yet its population account for 5% of Malaysia population. By Arithmetic, Dayaks should own 1% of the county wealth! 1% is a lot for us the poor Dayaks. eg. say 1% of 1000 public listed companies at KLSE is equaled to 10 companies. Imagine a scenario of 10 companies own by Dayaks in KLSE…!!!
Hope BN will help. We hope and hope…sampai kemaia kitai nganti deh?
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Well put, CA. If it’s old and broken, fix it. Haha.
Change we must, I think. At least it will (hopefully) bring a new dawn. After so long, perhaps its better to ask for a change rather than listening to old records over and over again.
So what if PR can’t deliver? 5 years later (2 in the case of BA) vote them out lah. But if there is an opportunity for change (not so much for change of Govt but more for the change in the rejeki/upliftment of the Dayaks) so be it. Grab it while we still can!
I consider myself non-affiliated. I thank the BN for the many good works it has done before but it has come to a point that I’m sick of seeing all the ills perpeutated in the name of devt and advancement (Khir Toyo’s case a prime example). So why not give a try.
Like a friend said d morning of March 8: “I consider myself a true blue BN supporter but I’m overjoyed with this results because we need to show them the rakyat’s the boss. They need a good kick in the behind for letting us down”.
Couldn’t agree more..
April 4th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I am no fan of the PKR but I am willing to give it a try. I heard PKR promise to issue land title to all NCR if they can win Sarawak,not just Batang Ai.If PKR wins in Batang Ai, PKR cannot do much because PKR is not the’paymaster’,but it goes to show that we the Dayaks (oops, sorry, the word Dayak has been deleted from..)have open our eyes a little bit wider and see that we have been marginalized and have or land taken taken right under our noses.
For Uchu Keling,
Do we have to wait until our land has been sold to big companies and our houses being bulldozed like Rh. Nyawin to realise that the present government is behind all these. And no jabboo or ma sin speak for the people in Rh Nyawin. Only the NGOs came to their rescue by highlighting their problems.Can you imagine if you longhose is flattened by tractors together with all their ‘barang’ inside. I guess you can’t because you are educated, living i a big house in the city and have lost touch with what happen to the poor Dayaks living in the rural areas.
April 4th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Uchu Keling,,
I suggest you go out a bit and go to the five( four now) states under PKR and see how things are done and not depending on what people tell you.I can see there are a lot of changes( for the better)just in one year compared to what Bee End done in so many many years.Did you ever wonder why PKR won in the last two buy-elections inspite of the fact that tons and tons of ringgit dumped in the two elections? That is why the people there stared to call the by-elections as BUY ELECTION. PKR will still win if any state in semenanjung dare to dissolve the assembly.It is because the PKR can manage their states better than the BEE END.You ever wonder why the BN refuse to ‘gubar’ the CN or parliament in perak? It is a general knowledge that the BN is afraid of kalah teruk.They are afraid of a clean sweep by the PKR.Can you see why.Never mindlah. you will never understand because you have a one-track mind in spite of the fact that you are highly educated.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:21 pm
105tonnes, I am sorry if it doesn’t sound fair to you. However, we have hear, see (on TV), read on papers, opposition blogs, etc. I am expressing my views and seeking a clearer picture on what the PR are able to do in Sarawak.
Batang Ai is looked upon as a gateway and ‘test the water’ election. I am not sure of what is going to happen next after 7 April. Hence, it is good that we know what is being done or going to be done to solve the so much issues that has been said in so many blogs, journal, online portal, etc about BN failure to service the people.
Is it too much to ask and at the same time not being accuse of not being fair enough.
I am sure, there are other readers and my fellow Sarawakian who are indeed in need of answers from PR especially in Sarawak context.
I am only seeking answers.