Sulaiman Resigned, Opposition Still Sliping?

I have forewarned some Opposition leaders not to slip anymore as there are signs that the state election is coming very soon. Will the nation watch a “Tsunami” coming to this direction and sweep the state Barisan Nasional government away? This is what people in coffee shops are talking about. Opposition can only do this if all are prepared and if all could work together and start working now. The signs that state election is near is very imminent and it could be as early as during 1st term school holiday next year 2010. The Election Commission has met the chief minister recently and this has enhanced the suspicion of an early election. It was unprecedented for the Election Commission to have met the chief minister and unless it was something to do with elections there was no good reason for the Election Commission to have an audience with the chief minister.

The battle will be in the dayak areas and the dayaks are growing impatient each day. Educated dayaks are more daring these days to stand up and fight for their people and this may spell danger to the chief minister Pehin Sri Taib Mahmud. So the chief minister has to no choice, but, to please the dayaks. The things to tame the dayaks are simple and BN knows how to do this. The trick is to give a few influential dayak leaders some benefits and then splash some money in their areas. This will keep the dayaks and their leaders happy and with that their opposition against Taib will again just fizzle out.

In this strategic planning to retain power in the state, the Barisan Nasional government was forced to appoint Datuk Idris Jala, an orang ulu of Kelabit tribe, in August 2009 as Minister to the Federal Cabinet. Why appoint Idris Jala when there are many to choose from? This was nothing more than to please the Orang Ulu people. Among the orang ulu, Idris Jala is the only one so far been appointed to hold such a high office. The appointment of Idris Jala will see the Orang Ulu stay behind the Barisan Nasional government.

Then came the approval in September 2009 by the federal government RM50 million for the construction of the first phase road fom Lawas to Ba’Kelalan.

This was followed by the announcement by Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan on 22 November, 2009 at Buduk of a proposed road at RM1 billion from Lawas to Bario in the North Sarawak.

With the recent cabinet reshuffle which led to the appointment of 4 dayaks to the state cabinet is no doubt a strategy by the chief minister, Pehin Sri Taib Mahmud to stay in power with the help of the dayaks.

Taib may retire soon and may wish to see his son, Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib take over as chief minister. Sulaiman has tendered his resignation to the Prime Minister and this will give him enough time to build his grass root support before entering the fray and take over from his father as chief minister of Sarawak.

Opposition Applied Wrong Strategy
In strategic planning, the Opposition has made a grave mistake of competing with each other for publicity in their discussions for seat allocations. Are the leaders all too eager to topple Taib or were competing with each other to become chief minister? Why wants so much publicity? Leave the issue who leads the state, fight the war first! Win first, talk that later! A strategy once wrongly executed will be disastrous. This has alerted the BN. BN took the cue from the publicity and before an Opposition pact could be formed, BN has to reorganize their machineries and strike first. BN has also now started the smear campaign against the Opposition camp in the blogs and SUPP has already set a team to compile information and facts about weaknesses of the DAP in the hope that these will be turned into weapons against the Opposition. Dr. George Chan has already fired his first shot in the Dewan recently.

Now, the Opposition has to work fast. The dayaks have to wake up and form a movement like Hindraf and go to Parliament to demand for their rights or the King to seek protection of their rights and to do this they must seek the cooperation of our neighbours, Sabah.

All Opposition leaders with dayak traditional clothes and war head gear have to show some solidarity and march to Parliament and to the Palace to hand a Memorandum to Parliament and the King. Alternatively, the dayaks should march with full force to demand their rights from Taib Mahumud. International media must be called to give as wide coverage as possible. Only by doing this a wave for the Tsunami can be created to sweep the state Barisan Nasional out of power.