Speaking through the ballot papers
The voters have spoken loud and clear, so those who have been elected better not fail them.
Congratulations are in order for all Sarawakians who cast their votes last Saturday; to Barisan Nasional for forming the state government with 55 of the 71 seats, and to all successful opposition candidates.
However, I find it disturbing that quite a number of companies took up full-page newspaper advertisements to congratulate only Barisan candidates. Just as Barisan candidates are deserving assemblymen, so are those from the Opposition.
It just illustrates the political patronage that these companies crave for. Of the 17 companies that signed the recent Anti-Corruption Corporate Integrity Pledge and Principles for Corporations in Malaysia, none are from Sarawak.
Rain or shine: Residents of nine longhouses lining up to cast their votes at a library and indoor badminton court in Bawang Assan seat in this file pic.
We the people have spoken. Like it or not, we have chosen our assemblymen. So please get down to work and fulfil the promises made to the people.
The election results are quite in line with my predictions (see The Star, April 10).
My conclusions after detailed analysis are crystal clear.
n Barisan has been given a strong mandate (despite the loss of a few seats) to govern for the next five years. It now has 55 seats compared to 63 in the 2006 election, the popular votes went down from 64% to 55%. The coalition still did well is its rural strongholds.
n While Pakatan Rakyat won only 16 seats, they represented 45% of the voters. They will provide the much-needed check and balance.
n The swing against Barisan did not come just from urban (and by extension, Chinese voters) but also sub-urban and some rural areas.
n The swing against Barisan is a swing against corruption, nepotism and cronyism, perceived or real.
So all Malaysians should welcome the election results.
While I am proud that Sarawakian voters have exercised their democratic rights by voting, I am ashamed of the reactions of some leaders particularly that the Chinese are ungrateful and they will lose out because SUPP performed badly, and that Miri will go backwards.
Are they saying that electricity and water will now be cut in urban areas, or roads turned into jungle tracks now that these are opposition areas?
In a democratic society it is the political leaders who should be thankful for the votes and support. Don’t take this support for granted. Development is our right, not a gift.
The urban voters, Chinese or others, did not vote for DAP because it is Chinese or Chinese-based. They voted for PKR and PAS as well.
To my simple mind, 45% did not vote for the Barisan because they believed that the coalition could have done better after 40 years in power. They wondered why despite all the resources Sarawak has, the people could not be wealthier.
We want an explanation as to how RM80bil in export (2009 figure) of petroleum, timber and palm oil translated to just RM12 a day in wages and 48% of Sarawakian workers earns less than RM750.
And the tragedy is that the poorest continue to prefer the status quo although they have not benefited much after 40 years.
Barisan has retained many rural seats using its age-old promises of development. So despite 40 years of promises developments are still lacking.
I also believe that Barisan performed as well as it did mainly due to the Najib factor. His call for SUPP and local political leaders to have guts must be commended and it obviously resonated well with voters. His call for more time to implement change was believable.
He took the lead in the Barisan campaign and promoted his 1Malaysia concept. Sure, 1Malaysia has a lot of detractors, but to me, it is our one (last) chance for a Malaysia to become an inclusive society free from racial politics. Economic development is aimed at achieving prosperity for all, and must be prioritised for the benefit of those who need it the most. It must not be a tool for political control.
My real worry is that too many times, good policy is hijacked by vested interests, myopic politicians, and little Napoleons, while good laws are destroyed by selective prosecution.
That is the message from the election. Take heed.
The Star
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