Kit Siang says April 16 will be a litmus test for both Taib and Najib.Pakatan Rakyat rallies across the state have drawn massive crowds.
A Pakatan Rakyat (PR) win in Sarawak this coming April 16 could lead to PR taking over federal power in the upcoming general elections, Lim Kit Siang said today.
The DAP parliamentary leader has urged Sarawakians to reject Barisan Nasional (BN) — specifically Chief Minister Tan Sri Taib Mahmud and Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia policy “sham”, saying that a unified vote against BN in the hornbill state would lead to other states falling to the federal opposition.
“If on April 16, the voters of Sarawak vote in clear and unequivocal terms for Peh Moh (Taib) to go and signifying to Najib that his signature 1 Malaysia policy is a sham degenerating into a “1 T-shirt, 1 Tupperware” circus, then “416” will presage a greater Malaysian political tsunami in the 13th national elections where more states could fall to Pakatan Rakyat — and even the Putrajaya seat of federal power,” said Lim in a statement.
Lim said that PR has so far received favourable response from voters in Kuching, Sibu, Bintangor, Sarikei, Bintulu and Miri.
The veteran politician said that polling day this Saturday would go down in the country’s history as another “major milestone” to reclaim the birthrights of all Sarawakians and Malaysians to become “full, equal and free citizens” of the country.
“The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has also turned the Sarawak state general election into a national general election by “closing down” Putrajaya for six days and directed his entire Cabinet to plunge into the election campaign in Sarawak.
“Polling day on April 16 has therefore become not only an inquest into the 30-year rule of Peh Moh in Sarawak but Najib’s two-year Prime Ministership,” said Lim.
According to Lim, signs of BN losing its grip in Sarawak was imminent with MCA president Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek and Gerakan’s Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon campaigning in the state to “save” the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) from electoral defeat.
“I can sense the outrage of SUPP founders and veteran members who in their fifties, sixties and seventies had utter contempt for MCA and Gerakan leaders and principles — but now George Chan and his 2011 band of SUPP leaders hope to be “saved” by MCA’s Chua Soi Lek and Gerakan’s Koh Tsu Koon when these two leaders cannot save their own parties in Peninsular Malaysia!” added Lim.
PR is confident of Sarawak’s urban vote on polling day this Saturday, but BN appears to have a lock on its rural interior — to ensure the desired two-thirds state assembly majority.
However, positive reports continue to stream in for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) from across all 71 state constituencies, offering the pact hope that it can take on BN.
Although its leaders prefer to stay cautious, the consistent turnouts at its rallies and encouraging responses from constituents have led them to admit that their confidence level have outpaced their own expectations.
All three PR parties — PKR, DAP and PAS — have declared that they would increase their seats but stopped short of saying that Sarawak would fall into its hands after Saturday.
This is the first state-wide election the newborn alliance is contesting under the PR umbrella and is the pact’s rehearsal for the coming federal election, which has to be called by 2013.
While the contest is said to be a referendum on BN’s waning popularity in East Malaysia, it will also serve as a litmus test for PR to prove its popularity has grown since its shock victories in the tsunami of Election 2008.
But opposition party sources are concerned over rumours that BN’s final push in its campaign would come in the form of a major handout to PR’s lost opposition ally, Sarawak National Party (SNAP), which is contesting against PKR in 26 seats.
This, said sources, was tailored to split the opposition vote and guarantee a BN victory.
Sarawak will head to the polls to decide the next state government this April 16.
A total of 979,796 are eligible to cast their ballots, with the Chinese community forming the largest segment of the electorate, followed by Ibans, Malay/Melanaus, Bidayuhs and Orang Ulus.
