BY DAH IKHWAN
The majority of DAP members in Sarawak are Dayaks, said Sibu MP Oscar Ling (also a DAP Sarawak committee member) during the party’s Sibu’s Chinese New Year open house at their premises in Rejang Park on February 10. This is quite a surprise considering the fact that the DAP is basically a Chinese-based party.
” Even Putrajaya could not be captured without DAP which managed to convince 95% of the Chinese voters as to who to vote. Without DAP’s ingenuity, some 38 Malay MPs from Pakatan Harapan would not have won in the last general election. ”
If Ling had asserted that the party had made significant inroads into Dayak areas, it might be easier to understand. After all, the party did make some attempts there in the 2016 state election during which they contested in eight mixed rural seats. They failed to win any seat, but since then they have been campaigning hard to strengthen their position in the same constituencies as well as in a few Dayak seats.
Is it possible that they have registered a large number of members in Sarawak’s rural areas? If so, is it possible that the new Dayak membership has eclipsed the Chinese in the party? If the answers are in the positive, they may be a cause of worry for GPS.
Even PKR would not be happy. After all ever since the time of Pakatan Rakyat, PKR has focused their attention on rural Sarawak. Based on an informal understanding the DAP was supposed to be confined to Chinese areas, but it is hard to expect the party to stay contented with that position because it would force them to keep playing second fiddle in Sarawak politics.
Just like any other party, DAP is also tempted to have a chief minister from among their ranks. Why not Chong Chieng Jen, their state chairman, instead of somebody from PKR like Larry Sng or Baru Bian? This can happen if Pakatan Harapan (PH) wins in the next state election (or subsequent elections) and DAP wins the largest number of seats for the coalition.
” In Malaya, DAP’s campaign method has been more effective than those of other parties. The party has been most consistent in its struggle in the past, thereby gaining the full trust of many Chinese. ”
GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) lawmakers are currently the incumbents in practically all the rural constituencies, but they will not find it plain sailing the next time around.
In Malaya, DAP’s campaign method has been more effective than those of other parties. The party has been most consistent in its struggle in the past, thereby gaining the full trust of many Chinese.
It has a large cadre of loyalists, especially among the young, who are most willing to assist in its struggle on voluntary basis. They have excellent feedback mechanisms and thus know where exactly to deploy their resources for maximum impact.
Here’s a bit of food for thought. Think of DAP’s Penang 1, Penang 2 and Penang 3 attempts in three consecutive general elections before they succeeded in toppling the island’s Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
Think also of their efforts to capture the Umno stronghold of Johor. Nobody could believe that they would be successful. But Johor has fallen. All these are due to DAP’s consistent efforts and determined struggle backed by a good strategy and excellent campaign machinery unmatched by any other party.
Their incendiary speeches and online attacks were aimed at dividing the Malays who are now split into five political parties. The result, DAP is now the dominant political force in the country.
This has given rise to a new saying which goes: During Najib’s time, cash is king, but during Tun Dr Mahathir’s time DAP is the king (or kingmaker at the very least).
Even Putrajaya could not be captured without DAP which managed to convince 95 percent of the Chinese voters as to who to vote. Without DAP’s ingenuity, some 38 Malay MPs from Pakatan Harapan would not have won in the last general election.
Now the Malayan Malays have suddenly awakened to the fact that their once all powerful Dr Mahathir as president of Umno is no longer what he was before. He no longer has mandate from the Malay electorates, but was put up by DAP and PKR with mandate from non-Malays.
In fact, a study by Ilham Centre revealed that 60 percent of the Malays believed that Dr Mahathir is controlled by DAP, the dominant political force in the Pakatan Harapan government.
Now DAP leaders have trained their eyes on the Sarawak state election. The tell-tale signs are obvious. DAP and PKR public talks/lectures are getting more rampant in the rural areas. We may see more such activities raising racial and religious tension. Do we need this type of politicking in Sarawak? It is not in our tradition.
Yet this is what we can expect to come from a party which claims to be multi-racial. Sarawak’s harmonious atmosphere where people of various races and religions mix freely and peacefully could become a thing of the past once DAP holds power in the state.
In contrast, GPS (composed of former component parties of Barisan Nasional) has been promoting and maintaining multi-racial and multi-religious harmony for more than 40 years. Being fully Sarawakian, GPS is the party best geared to fight for Sarawak’s rights.
Its new-found courage to fight without fear or favour is personified by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg. He has taken big steps to reclaim Sarawak’s autonomy under the Malaysia Agreement (MA63), reclaim our rights over oil and gas resources and more recently, moved to impose sales tax on oil and gas exports.
It is now for Sarawakians of all races to join this sacred mission to fight for Sarawak and uphold the “Sarawak First” slogan.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
