Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s prevalence in Sarawak will likely add further strain to federal-state ties as the Najib administration continues to face the dilemma of the Chief Minister’s extended stay in power, an analyst here predicted.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) lecturer Dr Faisal Syam Hazis told a forum last night that Taib’s thumping victory meant it was unlikely that the strongman would bow out from politics before the next general election is called.
But Taib’s continued cling to power, he said, would only serve to hamper any plans by the federal Barisan Nasional (BN) to rebrand its Sarawak leadership in preparation for national polls, which has to be called in 2013.
“There is going to be a serious strain in the federal and state relations. There is this resounding call for Taib to step down but Taib, fresh from winning his two-thirds majority during the state polls, would have a good reason to stay on,” he said at the forum, organised by Merdeka Center at the Hilton Hotel.
Pundits had earlier said that it was the anti-Taib sentiment in Sarawak that had given federal BN leaders a great scare in the polls, resulting in the harried deployment of the entire federal and state government machinery — including all Cabinet ministers — to help in the campaign.
Even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak went on the stump for BN for six days and took on the coalition’s campaign reins by criss-crossing the state to canvass for votes.
During nightly ceramahs, leaders from Sarawak-based BN parties and even Najib himself attempted to appease worried voters over Taib’s resignation deadline, giving their assurance that the country’s longest-serving chief minister would soon exit politics.
Taib had earlier pledged to resign some time after the polls, but stopped short of specifying a date and only said he would do so in two or three years’ time.
The opposition made full use of the widespread discontent with Taib and his administration, and centred its ceramah messages and campaign materials on the many allegations of corruption and abuse of power made against the powerful leader.
Despite this, Taib cruised to an easy victory and, of all the four Sarawak-based BN parties, his Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) topped the charts when it successfully retained all the 35 seats it contested.
Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) won eight of nine seats, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) won six of eight seats while Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) fared the worst when it won in only six of 19 state seats.
But BN had also suffered unprecedented defeats to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in 15 state seats, effectively seeing the opposition force more than double its seat representation in the House.
Buoyed by the anti-Taib wave in the urban centres, PR’s DAP won in 12 of the 15 state seats it contested, most of which were Chinese-majority constituencies.
Its partner PKR managed only three of the 49 seats it contested but collectively, the PR pact dipped into BN’s popular vote and scored a comfortable 45.5 per cent for itself.
Faisal said that the implications of the results were damaging for BN and the ruling pact could not afford to rest on its laurels and assume that victory would again be theirs during the federal election.
He said the coalition badly needed to undergo reform if it wanted to maintain its hold over Sarawak, which many pundits have now agreed is no longer BN’s “fixed deposit”.
“They need reform, not only in terms of leadership but also its state policies and political culture.
“It is testing time ahead for the BN... strained federal-state relations, the leadership struggle within the PBB and SUPP’s difficult task to remain relevant... and then, the contest between SPDP and PRS to vie for SUPP’s seats in the polls,” he said.
But Taib’s victory, he reiterated, would pose as a stumbling block for the pact, particularly if the leader refused to stick to his succession plan.
“Taib is saying now — why should I go? The choice is mine now. I delivered 100 per cent of my seats so why should I give in now,” Faisal said.
He noted that in a symbolic gesture to tell BN’s West Malaysian leaders to not interfere in his state, Taib immediately had himself sworn in as chief minister on polling night itself.
Faisal added that seated right next to Taib’s wife during the swearing-in ceremony had notably been PBB senior vice-president Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, known to be Taib’s choice as successor.
Taib’s deputy in PBB Datuk Abang Johari Tun Openg, he pointed out, had not been accorded that privilege.
“It was a symbolic gesture from Taib. KL wants Abang Jo to succeed him because he is among one of the leaders with the least baggage in terms of problems with land grab and corruption.
“But Taib wants Awang Tengah. So it his gesture to show BN that — no, I am not going to go and when I do go, the choice of successor is mine,” said Faisal.
The political analyst noted that in view of the circumstances, it would be interesting to watch the developments between the state and federal BN in the coming months ahead.
Sarawak’s political landscape was fast shifting and BN was now aware that it could no longer rely on its length of power and service to garner votes.
“There was a time when people said you could put a goat to stand on a BN ticket and he would win but that time is gone,” he said.
He observed that the rural voters in Sarawak were concerned over the personalities an performances of their leaders and it was this disillusionment with Taib and their old state representatives that had led some to vote against BN.
Without Taib in the picture, however, Faisal said BN could regain some of its lost votes.
“There was a problem with their old set of leaders... for example, there is this kampung in Saribas which is inaccessible by road.
“Villagers have to travel through Batang Saribas to get there and that river is known for its crocodiles... so every year, someone gets eaten.
“Their previous YB (assemblyman), however, asked the villagers why they wanted road access... he told them — if we give you roads, your children will take drugs and alcohol. This is why many of these leaders were changed,” he said.
