I forsee a good return of BN in the upcoming Sarawakian Polls, maybe a slight decrease due to the Bible issue and disatisfaction with Taib Mahmud's long reign but generally the outcome would be very positive.
Finally, the 10th general state election in Sarawak has arrived, with the polling date fixed on April 16, 2011. The question to ask is: can we expect a political tsunami, in which the long established Barisan Nasional will suffer its worst ever bashing at the hands of the opposition parties? In the past few months, we have seen dramatic and unexpected changes in the Arab world. Without warning, powerful regimes in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia have fallen to popular uprisings, pulled down by the bare hands of the people. Will the same thing happen to the Sarawak regime in Malaysia, via the ballot box? On the surface, the Sarawak BN’s hold on power looks unshakeable.
The BN’s control over all institutions of authority has long been secure, with the government firmly holding the reins of power. Superficially at least, it looks impossible for the opposition to gain a firm foothold in the state. We do not know how a political tsunami is formed.
All we know is that the state of Sarawak is ready for a turn of the political tide. The state has been in the iron grip of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud for 30 years, making him the longest serving chief minister in Malaysia’s history.
Corruption is rife since Taib exercises absolute rule over this resource-rich state. Sarawak needs a new political era where there is more even-handed political competition. The Sarawak Report website has published a series of very revealing articles about how the chief minister has accumulated fabulous wealth. It has also predicted an unprecedented breakthrough by the opposition parties in the coming poll.
Sarawak Report has grabbed international attention after its series of shattering exposes on the inner workings of the Taib regime. But as the election looms, Sarawak opposition party Snap has come back from the dead, and has boasted of contesting in the election in a very big way.
We Sarawakians are used to hearing mosquito parties that wake up from long years of slumber, often just before a general election to announce their intention to contest on a large scale. They generally do not do well, and they go back to hibernation after the polls.
But the antics of Snap will have the negative effect of distracting the voters from their political focus. They are certainly going to weaken the chances for PKR, by dividing opposition support and splitting the vote in three-cornered fights. This must be sweet music to the ears of BN leaders. READ MORE HERE
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