Najib is afraid, says Pakatan: Sarawak told to be on alert for "dirty tricks"

Pakatan Rakyat leaders are unfazed by unprecedented news that Prime Minister Najib Razak had cancelled next week's Cabinet meeting to spend the time in Sarawak to campaign for Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.

"PM Najib doesn't scare us. He is afraid of us. In the true spirit of Sarawakian hospitality, we welcome him but we hope that he will respect the rules of fair play and ethical elections because April 16 is a big day for us and for the whole of Malaysia and we are giving him notice of that now," PKR Sarawak chief Baru Bian told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Clearly Barisan Nasional leaders are aware that something is stirring among the Sarawakian voters and there can be great surprises on polling day. This is why Barisan Nasional leaders are exuding the scent that they can suffer electoral losses and they are beginning to panic," DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said in a press statement out on Sunday.

Unstoppable desire for change

Indeed, amid enormous public support for the Pakatan as evidenced in the huge turnouts at almost all campaign stops in Miri, especially the nightly ceramah or political rallies, optimism has shot sky-high that history was about to be written in Malaysia's largest but poorest state.

Sarawakians will go to the ballot boxes on April 16. When official campaigning kicked off last week, few pundits were willing to bet the Pakatan coalition led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim could even deny the long-entrenched and fabulously weathy Taib a two-thirds majority.

But after 4 days of campaigning, the Sarawakians' spontaneous pull towards the Pakatan especially after it unveiled a stunning 10-point manifesto has swung opinion to the opposite side of the pendulum.

The word in the coffee shops and amongst the people on the streets is that Pakatan will sweep Sarawak!

But seasoned campaigners including Anwar and Kit Siang urged supporters to remain wary.

"If I am asked now, I will not say that we have crossed the line towards victory for the 15 state assembly constituencies DAP is contesting, but there have been daily increases in support increasing the chances of success of winning in these constituencies come polling day," said Kit Siang.

"Obviously, we are very excited because we can see face to face with the Sarawakians the excitement they feel and their desire for change, but we cannot fall into any traps, especially at this stage. Sarawakians must remeber Taib didn't stay in power for 30 years without learning a few tricks. Not only is he so rich but he has full control over the state and federal machinery. There are places where BN may not even need to buy votes, they can even dare to drop entire ballot boxes into the jungles or rivers," PKR vice preisdent Tian Chua warned.

What matters most is work on the ground, not psy-war

There are 71 seats in the Sarawak state assembly that are being contested. In 2006, the BN swept 63 of the seats against a disunited opposition. But after the 2008 general elections and the formation of the Pakatan Rakyat, Malaysians have found themselves a viable political alternative.

The Pakatan currently rules 4 of the country's 13 states including the two best managed - Selangor and Penang.

After 30 years of oppressive rule and watching Taib and his family allegedly squander and siphon out billions of ringgit of the state's natural resources into their own bank accounts, many enraged Sarawakians are raring for change.

But will they be brave enough to really vote for the Pakatan come April 16?

Already an anonymous email is being circulated to counter threats from BN supporters that retribution will follow those - especially the sprawling civil service - who dare to vote for Anwar and his team

"For far too long we have been intimidated by Taib, his ministers, and his appointed heads of departments. We have been fearful that our votes can be traced and discovered and we will be transferred to the Penan kampungs in ulu Belaga and ulu Baram, ulu Lawas to Baru Bian’s kampung, ulu Balleh to James Jimut’s longhouse, to ulu Pakan to William Mawan’s longhouse," the e-mail read.

"But, even if our votes can be traced, if everyone of us votes for change, how can Taib and his Chief Minister’s Office transfer all of us? There won’t be enough office space in all of our rural offices."

The email is indeed a reflection of the depths of the low culture and bullying tactics favoured by the BN, the coalition's critics said.

Day of reckoning for Malaysia has arrived and it begins at Miri

Perhaps, the day of reckoning has finally arrived for Taib and Najib, who have both been accused of massive corruption and being trapped in time warps of the past.

Thanks to education, globalisation and the Internet, few Malaysians are as gullible or as unaware of their social and political rights as before.

"For first time in 48-year history, Miri leads in forefront for political change in Sarawak’s 10th general elections. In the past 48 years, it was either Kuching or Sibu which led the state in political change," said Kit Siang.

"But Miri is now the cynosure of Sarawak and Malaysia - in the very frontline for political change in Sarawak and Malaysia and all eyes are on Miri on polling day on April 16.

"DAP members and supporters must however not take things for granted for we must wrest every single available vote on polling day, or we may still miss the boat. The daily improvement in the electoral stakes apply not only to DAP but also for all other Pakatan Rakyat candidates."

- Malaysia Chronicle