SARAWAKIANS certainly overdid themselves on nomination day, 213 of them are contesting. And some people thought that 158 in 2006 was ridiculously huge.
Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusuf commented on Wednesday after the figures were tallied that the big number reflects the political maturity of the people. They want to serve.
If he is right then the people of Sarawak must be among the most politically matured and service oriented people in the world, outranking the people of the other states of Malaysia and the other countries in the region.
An election, according to an Asean leader, is “a feast of democracy” and indeed if it is one then it is aptly described because partaking in it are fathers and sons, uncles and nephews, brothers and cousins.
Sarawak Chief Minister of 30 years Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, for instance, is in the same camp as his brother Datuk Sri Mohammad Ali Mahmud, who is contesting in Muara Tuang, but he is being challenged by his cousin and independent candidate Datuk Salleh Jafaruddin in Balingian.
They were all together in Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), the lynchpin of the ruling four-party Sarawak BN before Salleh, a former federal deputy education minister, left to join another camp led by Taib’s uncle and former governor Tun Abdul Rahman Yacob in the 1980s.
But most West Malaysians or “orang semenanjung”, used to seeing thickets or jungles of buntings, banners and posters during elections, on arriving here were surprised when told that an election is on in the state. They see only a few banners and flags.
Perhaps people from other states could learn something from Sarawak after all. But Sarawakians have learned something, too, from West Malaysians: shouting at each other on nomination day.
As befits a festival, there are lots of laughter at most political gatherings generally after reading booklets of cartoon characters and jokes being distributed by the various parties. A few causes people to laugh at certain Pakatan Rakyat leaders while others cause readers of these booklets to laugh at state BN leaders including Taib.
BN, which had 63 seats in the recently dissolved legislature, is contesting in all 71 constituencies. The PBB is defending its 35 seats with its senior partner Chinese-based Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) contesting in 19, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) nine and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) in eight.
DAP which captured six of the 12 constituencies it contested in from SUPP in 2006, the largest number it ever won, is contesting in 15 this time. It is hoping to capture at least 10 or 11 of the Chinese-majority seats and to weaken SUPP still further.
It is the contests in the Chinese-majority areas, where the SUPP held sway for three decades, that are being closely watched. Everyone knows PBB’s dominance in Sarawak politics is dependent on support from SUPP.
If SUPP is weakened further it could be the beginning of the unraveling of the network of alliances and consensus that Taib, the astute political tactician and deal maker, had built for the PBB to remain dominant.
PKR, which had one seat and is hoping to be the dominant party in the next ruling coalition should the Pakatan Rakyat parties managed to defeat the BN, is contesting in 49 constituencies.
In the discussion over the allocation of seats, it displeased the DAP and disagreed with SNAP (Sarawak National Party) to the extent that both parties are now contenders in 25 constituencies against the BN. SNAP is vying for 26 seats.
Thus PKR’s hope of destroying PBB by taking on the party in straight fights in most of the Malay-Melanau majority constituencies is now limited to only seven.
But mostly PKR’s failure to reach an agreement with SNAP weakens the bid by Pakatan Rakyat – which in Sarawak was to include SNAP – to dislodge Taib and the BN.
By contesting in only five constituencies and hoping to win only in Beting Maro where its state commissioner is contesting, PAS is being realistic because mostly it just wants to familiarise itself to Sarawakians.
SNAP is contesting in 26 constituencies and is hoping to make a comeback to its golden age when it ruled Sarawak. In 2006 it made a bid for 29 but its sole victor subsequenyly crossed over to SUPP.
Parti Cinta Malaysia, which had one seat, is contesting in six.
But what makes the “feast” crowded is the participation of 41 independents, 21 more from 2006. The questions being asked about them is how many will stay the course.
It is, however, most certain that Dominique Ng, who was the sole PKR assemblyman who claimed he has been betrayed by his party, will stay the course in defending Padungan as an independent.
