It’s a war of attrition. If you have patience and a modicum of faith in yourself your chances are not too bad.
Julie Bowen, American actress
Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh did not look like he relished a fight to the finish against Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), at least not before last January 15.
He didn’t want Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) to have a head-on collision with GPS. What he wanted was for PSB to take on Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) in seats that it had a fair chance to win.
Wong didn’t want all 82 seats; he chose them. He never meant PSB to replace GPS, why would he want to contest all 82 seats?
His arch rival was SUPP, but there were seats that were traditionally SUPP’s to contest he was not interested in because he knew the chances of winning were slim. In these seats, which are mostly urban seats, he would gladly leave the fight to SUPP.
But yes, he wanted PSB to replace SUPP; defeat SUPP in as many seats as possible, and then at the end of the 12th state election (PRN12) present his case to GPS.
That was before last Jan 15.
Before last Jan 15, along the way that is, PSB however kind of got bigger, and Wong kind of got big-headed, too.
Disgruntled and gold-digging PRS and PDP leaders left and joined PSB and suddenly Wong found he could actually replace all component parties of GPS except Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB).
Up to a period, things sort of fell in the right places for Wong until the GPS chairman, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said: “You touch one, you touch all.”
Wong suddenly realised he had the whole of GPS to contend with.
In fact, back in March 20 when launching Marudi Waterfront Project in Miri, Abang Johari made it clear that he did not want “termites” in the ruling coalition.
“Termites can cause a house to collapse. When our house falls, that’s the end of us. I give priority to GPS as it is for our future.
“We cannot say, ‘Oh, I support Abang Jo’, but you try to ‘berlaga-laga dalam GPS’ (instigate a fight within GPS). We cannot tolerate that. The struggle must be based on principle.”
And on Jan 15, clearly left with little or no choice, Wong solemnly declared PSB will contest in all seats including those belonging to PBB:
“PBB declared a war by saying that they’re out to get Bawang Assan. Dr Annuar Rapaee (Nangka assemblyman) said that, as have Romeo (a political secretary to the chief minister, Romeo Christopher Tegong). With that, they have declared war against me.
“As the party president, I will lead the party into this war. It will be a friendly contest, but may the best party win and we will let the people choose.”
Apparently, the Ibans in Bawang Assan wanted to be represented by an Iban from PBB and this angered Wong, the Bawang Assan incumbent, who went on to reiterate his earlier announcement that PSB had decided to field incumbent Datuk Ranum Mina to defend Opar, former Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe in PDP’s Tasik Biru, and Datuk William Nyalau Badak and Sri Aman MP Datuk Masir Kujat in Lubok Antu and Balai Ringin, respectively, seats that belong to PRS.
Indeed the battle line has been drawn. It’s going to be PSB versus GPS in 82 seats, something that Wong had tried to avoid but must now do because he can no longer pick and choose his ‘victims’.
PRN12 cannot be far away, Wong will be burning the midnight oil trying to figure out who should be in his PSB team of 82 for a battle that he really did not want.
