It's one bumpy ride in Sarawak

In search of votes, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate 

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By Leonard Lim

MIRI, Sarawak - Probably the most gruelling part of an election campaign in Singapore is climbing up and down dozens of flights of stairs in an HDB block to reach residents on every floor.

Deep in the heartlands of Borneo, where roads are undeveloped and some 29,000 voters are scattered across mountains and rainforest, it is a different story.

Try hitting the campaign trail in Baram, a constituency in north-east Sarawak that is nearly the size of Pahang.

I spent three days following opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Roland Engan as he canvassed for votes, and endured hundreds of kilometres of bumpy and dusty rides on narrow logging tracks.

Fortunately it is not the rainy season – I was told that the tracks get muddy during such months, opening up the possibility of getting mired for hours.

The longhouses we visited were, for the most part, just a few hours’ drive from the nearest city, Miri.

Those in the far interior can be an eight-hour drive away or accessible only by boat along the 466 km-long Baram River.

Government infrastructure in the rural areas is basic, and many villages get water from the river, streams or the rain.

And with longhouses and supplies sometimes hours apart, Mr Engan packs a portable stove in his four-wheel drive vehicle, to cook instant noodles when he gets hungry.

Photojournalist Kevin Lim and I did not have any desires to relive our army days by cooking in the Sarawak jungles, and relied on canned sardines and mackerel.

Campaigning in the rural parts, however, has its perks, especially when it rains.

Mr Engan usually holds a rally at the longhouse he visits. On the nights that I was with him, it began to pour soon after he stopped at one.

But unlike urban voters who would have to endure getting wet, the villagers listened to him in the comfort of their home, leaning against pillars and walls while sipping a drink.

Many had just finished dinner, and ventured out of their living rooms to the ruai (the covered communal area in front of the homes) to show support, or for some entertainment.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition has for decades enjoyed strong support from residents in such rural areas. The residents find that pledging their loyalty comes with benefits.

A staunchly pro-BN longhouse I passed on Sunday was freshly painted a bright pink, while one just five minutes down the road that flew a giant PKR flag was rickety and run-down.

“That longhouse that supports BN? They get a new colour of paint every year,” my Dayak driver, Mr Anyie Lah, tells me.

Money is king in these rural areas – I witnessed at least one shirtless villager, perhaps slightly drunk, jabbing his finger at Mr Engan’s team and saying: “You pay me, I vote for you.”

Longhouses have been known to demand payment from candidates before allowing them to string up flags on their walls or in the vicinity of the village.

Allegations of vote-buying are rampant, and accusations fly on a daily basis.

In the adjoining rural seat of Hulu Rajang, the only federal constituency in Malaysia bigger than Baram, the PKR this week alleged that the Sarawak Workers’ Party (SWP) was giving out post-dated cheques to longhouse chiefs. That prompted a strongly-worded denial from the SWP on Wednesday.

The BN, with its heavy machinery and better resources, also has an advantage in that it can rely on helicopters to criss-cross vast constituencies.

“I didn’t even think about asking about the price of a chopper. Our budget is already so tight,” said Mr Paul Baru, Mr Engan’s campaign manager.

For the record, a helicopter ride reportedly costs thousands of ringgit an hour, while renting a four-wheel drive costs about RM500 (S$202) a day.

The vast distances between towns and villages also come into play on Polling Day, as many villages are reluctant to make the long journey – it sometimes takes several hours – to their voting station.

Candidates are known to dangle the carrot of free transport to voters, but this again adds to expenses.

Money and politics merge in another way. Cash is used to establish a reliable contact person in each longhouse, so that when the candidate phones ahead to arrange a visit, residents can be alerted and called home from the padi fields or river.

That “embedded” contact also comes in useful in helping to spread the candidate’s election messages and to sway undecided voters.

In the final analysis, even in the rural areas, winning the psychological war is the key.

Having deep pockets, and the endurance for those butt-numbing car rides, are definitely a bonus.

limze@sph.com.sg