Money talks, allies ditched for the Sarawak Chinese vote

By Sheridan Mahavera

April 15, 2011

SIBU, April 15 — With a day to go before polling, the fierce battle for the hearts and minds of the Chinese community is being fought with cash and rhetoric that bring into sharp focus the increasing racialism of the campaign for Sarawak.

In a rare move, the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), a Barisan Nasional (BN) party, has even dredged up the Umno bogeyman even though the Malay party is a coalition ally.

A senior SUPP leader warned that a loss of local Chinese support to Sarawak BN will usher in the entry of Umno, the MCA and Gerakan.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) workers in Chinese-majority seats in the Sibu area, meanwhile, claim that between RM300 and RM1,000 is being offered per vote ahead of polling day tomorrow.

The DAP is engaged in a mind war with the SUPP, the Chinese-dominated party of Sarawak BN, over Chinese representation in a future state government. The leaders of both parties have been issuing daily statements targeted at the Chinese voter.

In his latest ceramah speech, SUPP vice-president Datuk Tiong Thai King warned that a loss of two-thirds majority by the Sarawak BN will open the door for Umno to enter the country's largest state.

The dominant party in BN is deeply unpopular among non-Malays and even Sarawak’s Malays.

Tiong also told his audience that if the SUPP loses the support of the Chinese community, parties such as the MCA and Gerakan would have to be brought in to fill the void.

“In the event that the SUPP loses its seats but the other BN components win, how will Chinese interest be represented?

Liew said ‘spiritually Umno already controls PBB and SUPP’.

“If that is the case then MCA and Gerakan will have to come in to fill the void,” Tiong, who is defending the Dudong sat, said in his speech which was carried in local Chinese-language daily United Daily News.

“If BN loses two-thirds majority in Sarawak, then Umno will come in,” he said.

Playing up regional sentiments such as the state should be ruled by Sarawak-based parties is an old tactic used in previous state elections.

DAP strategist Liew Chin Tong said this was apparent in the numerous BN ads in the Chinese dailies which read: Vote BN, Keep outsiders out of Sarawak.

Liew, who is helping the DAP campaign in the Sibu area, said on the surface the message is used to refer to PR parties.

“Its deeper meaning is that Sarawak should only be ruled by local BN component parties,” said Liew when commenting on Tiong’s statement.

Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng shot back with the charge that Umno was also present in spirit in Sarawak as shown by the numerous policies it has enacted.

“Spiritually, Umno already controls PBB (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu) and SUPP. No one in PBB or SUPP dares goes against Umno,” he said.

Similarly, MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha had also warned the Chinese community not to abandon the BN as a lack of representation within the state government would doom the community.

Kong had said the community enjoyed more privileges in Sarawak compared to their brethren in the peninsula. This is seen in the official community leader posts of penghulu, pemancar and Kapitan at the local authority level.

Kong warned the Chinese community not to abandon the BN.

“They have to understand that should they decide not to give their votes to the Chinese representatives, the other parties in the ruling coalition may use the defeat of SUPP as an excuse to change everything," Kong said.

The Chinese make up about 20 per cent of the population. The SUPP is fighting tooth and claw with a resurgent DAP in 15 Chinese-majority seats.

The huge turnouts at DAP rallies and the increasing donations it is collecting have caused some to predict that it will win a majority of those 15 seats.

Wong was confident that the DAP’s track record of standing up for all ethnic groups in Sarawak would speak for itself despite the racial fear-mongering.

Wong said more money is being offered to people to vote for the BN.

“The Ibans know that I have spoken up for their land rights in the state assembly. The DAP’s message cuts across all ethnic groups.”

The tight contests in those 15 seats have purportedly driven up the ringgit value of votes, said the DAP.

“If before a vote is bought for about RM100, now it’s gone up to a minimum RM300. In Bukit Assek it’s RM300, in Bawang Assan it’s RM500. In Meradong it’s RM1,000,” said Wong.

Voters are supposedly approached by agents who will offer an upfront payment of between RM100 and RM300, depending on the area.

Once a ballot paper is cast, voters have to photograph it with a camera phone and claim the rest of the money from the agent after polling day.

The remaining amount is only paid out if the BN wins, said Wong. This is to give the voter an incentive to go out and persuade as many people to vote for the BN.