STAMPIN TO PKR?

When I joined DAP, Stampin was a constituency that no one had wanted to work on. The obvious reason was that it was a difficult constituency with about 30% bumiputera to work with. Many places were quite difficult to reach. The Chinese in the area were diehard SUPP supporters and the bumis like in many other places only recognized the Dacing symbol. It became more difficult to convince the bumis to support DAP or the Opposition when one could not speak their language or could not understand their culture well. Due to these problems, very few comrades in the DAP wanted to accept my challenge to work with me in Stampin. However, I admired those few who followed me over the years and who despite their age had worked very hard to realize our dream of a DAP flag in the constituency.

Before I mount a challenge to set foot in Stampin and Batu Lintang in 1999, I personally persuaded Dominique to work in Stampin or Batu Lintang and to let Sdr. Chong Chieng Jen to tackle BN/SUPP in Bandar Kuching and Padungan, but, Dominique disagreed on the reason that his political journey started in Bandar Kuching and Padungan and that most of his political activities were confined to these areas and therefore, according to him, he should work in Bandar Kuching and Padungan to realize his dream of re-capturing the seat from BN/SUPP. At that time, Dominique had already left the DAP and I could understand how he felt and think, but, at times in politics, there were many things that we need to consider if we want to effectively tackle the might of the BN/SUPP. We both knew we were fighting against the giant, BN/SUPP and should not turn our gun at each other, but to BN/SUPP.

Although Dominique had left the DAP, I always considered him as a comrade in the same struggle and my hope was also to see Dominique one day be victorious over BN/SUPP. I was very pleased when I noticed that we moved in the same direction in tackling the many issues against BN/SUPP and I was very convinced that my dream of seeing some co-operation with Dominique and his team in PKR could be the hope of the people of Sarawak, especially, the people of Kuching, of a united front to fight BN/SUPP. However, a very close relationship with his Party was always very difficult because PKR was and still is in the Barisan Alternatif (BA). DAP left BA because we knew BN was able to exploit the issue of PAS having the ambition to make Malaysia an Islamic State.

DAP’s SERIOUSNESS IN SETTING FOOT IN BATU LINTANG

To realize our goal, my team and I in these past years, went round almost house to house in the Batu Lintang State Constituency for at least five times, but, despite our hard work and in the name of “Opposition Unity” our Party leaders changed their minds in the last minute, gave up Batu Lintang in 2000 State Election to KeAdilan and move me to contest in Pending. Despite the ground work done by us, KeAdilan, in that election lost very badly to BN/SUPP. To my personal analysis, very few politicians could win an election without hard work and without going rounds visiting the constituency they wanted to contest. The Opposition paid dearly for the last minute change of strategy and we all lost.

However, before the last State Election of 20 May 2006, I was then instructed to reactivate our DAP’s work in Batu Lintang and we also covered Kota Sentosa, a seat in which, DAP also intended to contest. We had to cover Kota Sentosa as we knew very well that Sdr. Chong Chieng Jen, who at that time tipped to contest the seat, was too occupied with his parliamentary work and we need to cover for him. This time, it worked. We changed many shoes, torn and worn-out during our visits to the constituents! My team had the feeling that Kota Sentosa had a winning chance and that Batu Lintang could fall to the DAP during the last State Election and it was a feeling that we kept to ourselves until the results were out.

Sdr. GOH LING SIH TO HELP DOMINIQUE

When the State Election was near, upon the request of Dominique’s team, I agreed to allow our most experienced and hard working comrade, Sdr. Goh Ling Sih, to join Dominique’s team to campaign for him against BN/SUPP. I allowed this despite the fact that I lacked manpower and also the loss of an experienced and faithful comrade to help me during the height of the campaign period.

For the part that we play, Goh Ling Sih and I nearly paid a heavy price, with Sdr. Goh Ling Sih, but, what we did was out of sincerity to follow our national leaders, that is, to see DAP and Opposition parties triumph over BN. It was a sweet victory for the people of Kuching and the first time in the history of Sarawak, Padungan, Pending, Kota Sentosa and Batu Lintang fell for the first time fell to the Opposition during the last State Election. However, our strategy to see Batu Kawa fell to the Opposition did not work as PKR did not take their chances well.

DOMINIQUE BEGGING FOR STAMPIN

After the recent State Election, my team and I only took three weeks rest, before we packed our shoes again and went round to Stampin in preparation of this coming Parliamentary Election. We started our work in Batu Kawa and now we have moved down to Kota Sentosa and part of Batu Lintang.

We could now see some progress in our years of hard work. Everything had went on smoothly, but, I could not understand why since last year, Dominique was making a lot of suggestions in the press that he wanted PKR to contest in Stampin or to persuade DAP to give up Stampin to PKR. Dominique since then had made suggestions that if DAP will not give way to PKR in Stampin, then, PKR would contest in all seats that will be contested by DAP in this coming Parliamentary Election. It seems that Dominique was using Stampin as a card to force DAP to give way to his wishes. Why should Dominique do this? Now, he began to attack DAP and me and not BN/SUPP. Why Dominique is doing this?

I and my comrades had helped him won Padungan and now he turned the gun at us, not BN/SUPP? Because of wanting to see him won Padungan, we helped him and we nearly landed ourselves in trouble with our own Party. Which direction Dominique is heading now? Had Dominique forgot his original political goal in fighting against BN/SUPP? If Dominique wants to fight DAP, then, leave PKR and join BN and fight us from that territory. Dominique, a nice man, should not be a confused person and I hope he would not be.

To the voters, please be patient with us and we have track record that are serious politicians, not taking politics as a game. We don’t play money politics either! I pray to the people of Stampin to give me and DAP your support as it would be politically wrong to support a party or a politician who did not work much in the constituency to offer themselves to be our representative to Parliament. In the event there would be multi-cornered fight involving PKR, Dominique should understand that the voters are the best judges to determine who should win in the election and definitely not PKR or Dominique to say that they have better chance than DAP in capturing Stampin. I humbly hope the voters could also understand that DAP had given PKR the chance to capture Batu Kawa, but, they failed miserably. When we went back again to reactivate our activities in Batu Kawa, we were told that the voters rejected PKR due to their association with PAS and that the people in Batu Kawa is not yet ready for that “ marriage”.

The people in Stampin are assured that my team and I will not give up our challenge in Stampin easily as we have a dream to make a better Stampin for all! There is no room for negotiation now as the matter would not stop here. What Dominique or PKR have in their hands to offer in negotiating with DAP? Dominique and PKR should understand that no one now will negotiate with you when you come with empty hands. If we allow this, come the next State Election, Dominique and PKR will also come with the same modus operandi to force DAP to give up some seats that DAP had already captured to PKR. If Dominique insists on this, we are afraid that we don’t know how to work things out with him again for the good of the people of Sarawak. I hope Dominique and PKR will not stand on our way to do the battle with BN/SUPP. In whatever situation, we will not give up Stampin and will let the people’s court to decide.