A video clip of Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg talking about Umno and PAS while addressing a gathering has gone viral. It also came into my WhatsApp inbox several times over the past few days.
The KiniTV video shows Abang Johari using the term “deputy premier” instead of “deputy chief minister” while referring to his deputy, Douglas Uggah, in one instance.
The content was nothing new but the Sarawak leader must have reasons to bring up the matter at hand in light of recent political development in the country which has a bearing in Sarawak-federal relations.
“We told Umno not to come to Sarawak. They wanted to come. It is very difficult when they started talking about Islam. In PBB, we have members who are non-Muslims. We also told PAS not to come,” Abang Jo enthused in a segment.
He also pointed to the recent negative debate over the “chopstick” and “Timah” whisky, saying such issues being fanned in Malaya were non-starters in Sarawak.
The premier also took pride to repeat that Sarawak’s Unifor (Unit for Other Religions) has looked after other faiths well and had contributed RM60 million to date towards building places of worship.
Uggah, the Christian deputy premier, heads Unifor, a brainchild of the late chief minister, Adenan Satem.
I believe Abang Johari brought up the “Umno in Sarawak” subject again for a good reason - to send a message to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM or Bersatu).
Of late, Bersatu has been making overtures to the premier and his GPS coalition - the Malayan party wants a few parliamentary seats in Sarawak to contest come the 15th General Election (GE15). Notable among them are Saratok and Puncak Borneo, whose incumbents are former PKR turncoats now in Bersatu.
Even Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin made a trip to Sarawak recently, and according to the grapevine, his sole objective was to appeal to Abang Jo for some concessions to Bersatu. But it was a waste of Muhyiddin’s time and effort.
Besides Saratok and Puncak Borneo, other parliamentary seats in Sarawak held by independent government-friendly MPs are Selangau, Julau, Lubok Antu and Sri Aman. All these are Dayak-majority seats.
A confident GPS, buoyed by its roaring success in the Sarawak election last December, surely does not need to beg for help from allies in Malaya.
If I were a GPS leader, I don’t think I would bother with a seriously weakened party like Bersatu at all. I have declared my stand - those traitors who betrayed the people’s mandate by partaking in the Sheraton putsch must be voted out in GE15.
Good riddance to bad rubbish
As a Sarawakian, I’m glad that Abang Jo has stood his ground by repeating his earlier statement that GPS will contest all 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak come GE15. Which I would translate with a sneer at the traitor MPs from Sarawak - good riddance to bad rubbish. How could I not believe that karma has a way of siding with the oppressed and reverting a wrong to its rightful place?
Bersatu, unlike Umno, is already in Sarawak. No thanks to Dr Mahathir Mohamad. As the then Bersatu chairperson in 2019, he set up the Sarawak chapter, claiming that many Sarawakians wanted to join his party. Well, by now we know that Mahathir’s “many Sarawakians” probably comprise 80-90 people, fewer than 100 surely. I see Bersatu fading into oblivion after Muhyiddin leaves the political scene.
Other notable Malayan parties with chapters in Sarawak are DAP, PKR, Amanah, and PAS.
PAS has been in Sarawak for many years participated in several elections but had never won a seat. I have to say this about PAS leaders in Sarawak. They are not fanatics or extremists, unlike some of their national leaders. I find them tolerable, certainly more so than the ex-PKR traitors. At least, I can call these PAS people decent Sarawak Malays.
As for Amanah, a newbie in Sarawak, it has a long, arduous journey ahead even to make a little impact. Today, Amanah is a non-entity in Sarawak and its key leaders are little known.
PKR used to have a noticeable presence in Sarawak with a few elected representatives but its long-standing internal strife and exodus of leaders and members from the Sarawak chapter had seriously eroded its influence.
The majority of PKR candidates who contested in the recent Sarawak polls lost their deposits. Today, Sarawak PKR is as good as dead.
Perhaps the only Malayan party which commands some support from Sarawakians is the DAP. Its long history and presence in Sarawak coupled with some forthright legislators in the past have endeared the party to a cross-section of Sarawakians.
The DAP does have die-hard supporters, particularly among the urban Chinese electorate, but its base is slowly loosening, due possibly to the lack of strong and credible leaders.
The recent Sarawak election has been a bitter pill for the DAP to swallow. The party lost five seats, all in the urban areas, to its arch-rival, SUPP.
It is probably true that DAP losses were due to the votes being split among the several opposition parties which contested. However, the DAP must also be aware that it does not command a sizable vote bank, even in the urban seats.
Many also voted for other local opposition parties. So, those who voted for DAP previously may vote for another opposition party if there is an alternative. In the case of SUPP, the GPS component party has their solid voter-base intact.
The recent electoral result has indicated that Sarawak voters who support the opposition are beginning to place their trust and hope in local opposition parties.
In time to come, perhaps all the Malayan parties should leave politics and electoral battles to Sarawakians themselves. Let Sarawakians handle their own political battles.
Let me be clear. During elections, we don’t need Malayan leaders from both sides (repeat: both sides), descending on our peaceful Land of the Hornbill, spewing their dirty, ugly, venomous politics. Just stay out of Sarawak. Leave us alone. - Mkini
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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