‘Saviour’ Mawan rejected in Saratok?

With a fast-approaching general election, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party is in a desperate situation over its 'winnable' canidates.

KUCHING: Pandemonium has broken out in Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) over its president William Mawan’s offer to contest in Saratok, a parliamentary constituency.

Saratok is currently held by SPDP’s Jelaing Mersat. Mersat’s popularity is at an all-time low in Saratok.

Mawan, seeing himself as the “saviour”, has offered himself as a “winnable candidate” if the top Barisan Nasional leadership needs him.

But his offer, however, is being snubbed by SPDP grassroots leaders and members in the constituency.

Several party members interviewed said they preferred local lad Enturan Luta. Luta is a businessman in the gas and oil industry and well educated.

They said that Luta knows the problems and sentiments of the people.

Their rejection of Mawan came in the wake of his offer to contest in Saratok after the party had some problems selecting a winnable candidate for the seat.

“I am ready to contest in Saratok, if I am asked by the top BN leadership. If it is for BN to win, why not?”

“But if the top BN leadership decided to put me in Saratok because it is the only way to make us win, then let us forget about personal opinions or feelings.

“We have to subject ourselves to the decision not because I want more. As far as I am concerned, I think I have more than enough,” said Mawan, who is the Social Development Minister.

The personal “opinions” and “feelings” he is talking about is that he is not a local man, although his grandparents came from Saratok.

Mawan and his parents had migrated to Julau and he is now Pakan constituency assemblyman.

Desperate SPDP

Meanwhile, as the 13th general election is approaching fast, SPDP finds itself in a desperate situation to look for a candidate to replace Mersat whose popularity has dipped to rock bottom so much so that SPDP-BN is certain to lose its grip on the Iban-majority constituency.

Speculation is rife that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will drop him.

Initially, 13 persons have been identified by SPDP. They included civil servants, lecturers, lawyers and businessmen, but as the election draws closer, none of the candidates appears to be making any headway.

Of all the 13 prospective candidates, Luta is perhaps still the best, considering his financial and educational background.

But the disadvantage for him is that he is too “close” to the deputy president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang.

Such “close” association with Jabu is more of a liability than an asset to SPDP.

A large number of people in Saratok do not like Jabu as they claim that he has done nothing to help Ibans in other constituencies, including Saratok, in his more than 30 years as deputy chief minister.

But no matter who the candidate for Saratok – Mersat, Mawan or Luta – it is going to be an uphill battle for SPDP-BN this time around.

The real reason is that the people want change after being badly treated by the BN government, especially during the time when Sarawak National Party, then in the opposition, controlled the seat from 1969 to 1983 and then by Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak from 1983 to 1986.

Saratok has been under BN since 1987 and is still lagging behind in infrastructure development, especially if it is compared with development taking place in its neighbour Betong.

Political “awareness” has began creeping into Saratok in 2011 after SPDP deputy president and assistant minister Peter Nyarok was thrashed by a political novice Ali Biju of PKR in the state election.

Ali, who has been named by PKR to contest the Saratok seat, believes it will be a bigger political tsunami that will hit Saratok in the 13th general election.