BN may lose Sarawak as its ‘fixed deposit’

Joseph Tawie @ Malaysiakini

BN may lose Sarawak as its ‘fixed deposit’ in the coming state election if internal problems within Sarawak BN are not settled within the next 12 months, warned Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing.

“The problems within SUPP and SPDP still persist and unless leaders within BN are willing to take the bull by the horns, the instability within Sarawak BN will create unnecessary headaches for the chief minister,” he said during the PRS 10th anniversary dinner in Kuching last night.

“It was most unfortunate and rather unnecessary that a new political party called Teras (Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak) was used by some disgruntled State Assemblymen just as Adenan Satem (Chief Minister of Sarawak) assumed the mantle of leadership.

“In fact, it was done as if orchestrated, on the very day Adenan (left) delivered his first winding up speech as the chief minister of Sarawak,” he added.

Masing, who is a senior minister and minister of land development, made it clear that PRS did not agree in the manner and the timing by which Teras was formed.

“And I assume that SUPP, SPDP and maybe some elements within PBB, also do not agree because it destabilises the newly appointed chief minister.

“Solutions to solve problems within SPDP and SUPP could have been handled in a manner which would have allowed the new chief minister time to adjust to his new position.

“It would have given him time to read the political landscape of Sarawak and then suggest the correct solutions,” he said.

“In trying to think of possible solutions, I recalled what Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said in his speech at the SUPP 23rd Delegates Conference in Kuching.

This is what he said: ‘You have gone through hell; I want you to come back stronger and ready to fight for BN. I believe in politics of principles’.

“The prime minister believed in politics of principles, and so does PRS. I also believe that the other BN component parties namely PBB, SUPP and SPDP also believe in this,” he said, pointing out that there are rules in BN which had over the years, bound the spirit of comradeship among BN component parties.

He added one of the rules, is that ‘admission to BN must be 100 percent consensus’.

“What this means is that if one party in BN objects, admission into BN family is impossible. This is the principle which Najib was talking about.

“I cannot see how UPP (United People’s Party) and Teras can get admitted to BN if we follow these principles.

“If admission of these two parties to BN is not possible, then another set of principles must apply in order to solve the current problem in Sarawak – that is principle of personal integrity.

“Among other things, All YBs concerned must look back to where they started and how did they got to where they are now,” he said.

‘Unity is strength’

Also saying unity is strength, Masing asserted that the four parties (PBB, PRS, SPDP and SUPP) must stand together.

“In order to win the 2016 state election, we must abide by BN rules. Thus this code of conduct among BN followers: ‘you touch one you touch all’ must be practised with dedication and sincerity,” he added.

Masing said UPP which was formed by expelled SUPP leaders and Teras by expelled SPDP leaders, had been telling their supporters and members of the public that they are ‘already in BN’ by virtue of the fact that some of their leaders are in the state cabinet.

UPP is claiming 19 seats that SUPP is going to contest, while Teras is claiming eight seats which are allocated to SPDP.

“I believe all heads of BN component parties in Malaysia and in Sarawak think alike, sharing the same objectives, speaking from same page, sleep on the same bed and dream the same dreams,” he added.

“Unless we are humble enough to trim our egos, lean on and learn from each other, the 2016 state election and 2018 federal election will be worse – urban seats will go.

“The egos which have kept us apart will be dumped in the urban rubbish bins; we will be left with nothing but bruised pride. We will not be the administrators of this state,” he warned.