malaysianmirror Sim Kwang Yang
Wednesday, 28 October 2009 06:40
COMMENT Once, I was asked by a young man who from the Sarawak PKR would be qualified to be a clean Chief Minister for the state of Sarawak?
The question is pertinent, because generally Sarawakians have been exposed to so much corruption in public life that it is hard for them to believe that politicians can be incorruptible.
My answer to that young man was simple : Baru Bian would qualify to be such an incorruptible Sarawak CM, though I expressed some reservation whether he could survive politically in the crocodile pit that is Sarawak politics.
Personally, I did not meet Baru Bian until a few months ago. Then I told him about the young man’s question and my reply.
When Baru Bian was appointed as the New Sarawak PKR chief, I was satisfied. I think it is an appointment that few Sarawak PKR supporters would question or resent.
Though I do not know Baru, he has an awesome reputation as one of those very few lawyers who actually helped the Sarawak natives where they most need the help: fighting for the NCR land rights in court for many years.
I understand he has over 100 cases in hands, and he represents the native landowners on a pro-bono basis, which means that if he loses his case, he does not get paid.
A tested politician
Most other lawyers in Sarawak would not take up those land cases, because it means going against the Sarawak state government and powerful logging and plantation interest, thereby risking the loss of wealthy clientele. Being a people’s legal warrior does require a great deal of courage, integrity and sense of dedication to others who are less fortunate.
He is also a tested politician, having contested in the election in Ba’ Kelalan and achieved very respectable support, losing by a mere 300 votes or so. Those familiar with the rotten culture of vote buying in rural Sarawak will appreciate how hard it is to lose to BN by a few hundred votes.
I hope he is better prepared and win the seat for the Sarawak PKR the next round. The poor native landowners in Sarawak badly need his knowledgeable and experienced voice in the Sarawak state assembly.
Baru Bian comes from the small indigenous community called Lum Bawangs, who dwell mostly in the mountainous region in Northern Sarawak. They are a very small minority but still Baru is a Dayak, and that should appease those former PBDS members clamouring for Dayak leadership in PKR.
To me though, Baru’s ethnicity is the least of my concern. The head of the Sarawak PKR should look after the interests and rights of all Sarawakians irrespective of race. If he becomes the new Sarawak CM, he has to be a CM for all Sarawakians.
Baru would also fit the bill of a PKR Sarawak chief because of his temperament. He is a soft spoken and gentle person, unlikely to let his ego go to his head, and from what I hear, he is a team man, and not one of those to impose their will from top to bottom.
In that way, he is suited to be the PKR front man to build the bridges across the chasm that now divides and weakens the opposition parties in that vast state.
The task ahead for Baru Bian must be a daunting one even for the bravest of souls.
The BN ruling coalition still looks and feels rock solid, especially in community control in rural remote constituencies. Their formidable machinery and their seemingly bottomless war chest are handicaps hard for PKR to overcome.
Recently, when I met the Internet writer Kim Kuek for a few drinks, he asked me how opposition candidates can win rural Sarawak seats.
One way is to do non-stop campaign throughout the non-election years, helping the villagers to solve their bread and butter problems and fighting with them on the ground against land-grabbers.
For this purpose, you need to identify the candidate very early, years before the nomination date of the general election. The candidate and his local party structure will then have to build up a wholesome network of party members and supporters throughout the constituency with regular party programmes to keep them busy.
There should also be constant training programmes for supporters and members, so that they will be effective in going back to their village and organise the farmers. In every constituency, there will be enough local problems to keep everybody fully occupied.
Not West Malaysian - one problem less
But there still remains the major problem of raising the funds to keep the party machinery going, and to contest the election. The sheer cost of moving overland and along rivers is daunting indeed.
Then, there is a very unhealthy culture among Sarawak rural voters. They do not always connect the vote with their rights; rather they see the vote as a medium of exchange for cash and other rewards. They have been corrupted for decades by political parties and their candidates in the past.
At least for now, the PKR in Sarawak has one problem less, in that their state chief is no longer a West Malaysian. Otherwise, Alfred Jabu and James Masing will never cease to harp on the old theme - like a broken record - that PKR is a West Malaysian party and therefore cannot fight for Sarawakians
But the way the opposition parties are carrying on in Sarawak, they seem more concerned about seat allocation than establishing a workable political coalition. They seem more obsessed with personal ambition and party interest than the democratic future for Sarawakians.
I seriously doubt if the Sarawak opposition leaders are really ambitious enough to think about defeating the Barisan Nasional in the next state general election. I suspect they are thinking of which seat to contest and whether the election funds will rain from the sky when the tussle nears.
Let us see what Baru Bian can do with his rag-tag army.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009 06:40
COMMENT Once, I was asked by a young man who from the Sarawak PKR would be qualified to be a clean Chief Minister for the state of Sarawak?The question is pertinent, because generally Sarawakians have been exposed to so much corruption in public life that it is hard for them to believe that politicians can be incorruptible.
My answer to that young man was simple : Baru Bian would qualify to be such an incorruptible Sarawak CM, though I expressed some reservation whether he could survive politically in the crocodile pit that is Sarawak politics.
Personally, I did not meet Baru Bian until a few months ago. Then I told him about the young man’s question and my reply.
When Baru Bian was appointed as the New Sarawak PKR chief, I was satisfied. I think it is an appointment that few Sarawak PKR supporters would question or resent.
Though I do not know Baru, he has an awesome reputation as one of those very few lawyers who actually helped the Sarawak natives where they most need the help: fighting for the NCR land rights in court for many years.
I understand he has over 100 cases in hands, and he represents the native landowners on a pro-bono basis, which means that if he loses his case, he does not get paid.A tested politician
Most other lawyers in Sarawak would not take up those land cases, because it means going against the Sarawak state government and powerful logging and plantation interest, thereby risking the loss of wealthy clientele. Being a people’s legal warrior does require a great deal of courage, integrity and sense of dedication to others who are less fortunate.
He is also a tested politician, having contested in the election in Ba’ Kelalan and achieved very respectable support, losing by a mere 300 votes or so. Those familiar with the rotten culture of vote buying in rural Sarawak will appreciate how hard it is to lose to BN by a few hundred votes.
I hope he is better prepared and win the seat for the Sarawak PKR the next round. The poor native landowners in Sarawak badly need his knowledgeable and experienced voice in the Sarawak state assembly.
Baru Bian comes from the small indigenous community called Lum Bawangs, who dwell mostly in the mountainous region in Northern Sarawak. They are a very small minority but still Baru is a Dayak, and that should appease those former PBDS members clamouring for Dayak leadership in PKR.
To me though, Baru’s ethnicity is the least of my concern. The head of the Sarawak PKR should look after the interests and rights of all Sarawakians irrespective of race. If he becomes the new Sarawak CM, he has to be a CM for all Sarawakians.
Baru would also fit the bill of a PKR Sarawak chief because of his temperament. He is a soft spoken and gentle person, unlikely to let his ego go to his head, and from what I hear, he is a team man, and not one of those to impose their will from top to bottom.
In that way, he is suited to be the PKR front man to build the bridges across the chasm that now divides and weakens the opposition parties in that vast state.
The task ahead for Baru Bian must be a daunting one even for the bravest of souls.
The BN ruling coalition still looks and feels rock solid, especially in community control in rural remote constituencies. Their formidable machinery and their seemingly bottomless war chest are handicaps hard for PKR to overcome.
Recently, when I met the Internet writer Kim Kuek for a few drinks, he asked me how opposition candidates can win rural Sarawak seats.
One way is to do non-stop campaign throughout the non-election years, helping the villagers to solve their bread and butter problems and fighting with them on the ground against land-grabbers.
For this purpose, you need to identify the candidate very early, years before the nomination date of the general election. The candidate and his local party structure will then have to build up a wholesome network of party members and supporters throughout the constituency with regular party programmes to keep them busy.
There should also be constant training programmes for supporters and members, so that they will be effective in going back to their village and organise the farmers. In every constituency, there will be enough local problems to keep everybody fully occupied.
Not West Malaysian - one problem less
But there still remains the major problem of raising the funds to keep the party machinery going, and to contest the election. The sheer cost of moving overland and along rivers is daunting indeed.
Then, there is a very unhealthy culture among Sarawak rural voters. They do not always connect the vote with their rights; rather they see the vote as a medium of exchange for cash and other rewards. They have been corrupted for decades by political parties and their candidates in the past.
At least for now, the PKR in Sarawak has one problem less, in that their state chief is no longer a West Malaysian. Otherwise, Alfred Jabu and James Masing will never cease to harp on the old theme - like a broken record - that PKR is a West Malaysian party and therefore cannot fight for Sarawakians
But the way the opposition parties are carrying on in Sarawak, they seem more concerned about seat allocation than establishing a workable political coalition. They seem more obsessed with personal ambition and party interest than the democratic future for Sarawakians.
I seriously doubt if the Sarawak opposition leaders are really ambitious enough to think about defeating the Barisan Nasional in the next state general election. I suspect they are thinking of which seat to contest and whether the election funds will rain from the sky when the tussle nears.
Let us see what Baru Bian can do with his rag-tag army.
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