“Barisan Nasional, in its 9-point manifesto pledges to deliver promises to the people including transforming the State from the medium income to High Income Economy towards the year 2020 and beyond. The migration will raise the per capita income of RM37,287 in 2010 to RM45,000 in 2020 and to RM97,000 in 2030.
Besides, it also pledges to create 1.9 million jobs by 2020 and 2.5 million jobs in 2030.
The manifesto, launched by the Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is also the Chairman of the State Barisan Nasional also places emphasis on unity of the people, harmony and teamwork as the foundation of Sarawak’s peace, progress and prosperity.
The key points are as follows:
- Preserve and promote peace, harmony, stability and good governance;
- Preserve the environment, culture, heritage and beliefs of all races;
- Create more business opportunities for all;
- Guarantee people’s rights over their land;
- Care for and improve the quality of life for the poor and less fortunate;
- Ensure that the standard of our roads, water and electricity supply, health services and housing are continuously improved and increased; and
- Formulate a concrete plan to ensure that Sarawak is on track to become the richest state in Malaysia by the year 2030. “
Surprisingly DAP is running a campaign for change merely for the Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud to go. It is out of date and irrelevant.
First, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib has already indicated that he will go in two or three years’ time. It is not for DAP to demand for his plan of succession. Pehin Sri Abdul Taib is heading PBB, a more respectable party than DAP, with its narrow and chauvinistic political ideology.
Generally the people are adjusting quite well to the demand of change. The credit must necessarily go to Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib’s politics of development of with the primary objective to get the people to embrace change. When they accept change, they can see new opportunities. Subsequently, opportunities motivate them to respond to change to such an extent that they may leave their original places.
For example, there are more people from outside than the locals in Bintulu today. This is a good example of people responding to change in the pioneering days of the development of Bintulu. A lot of people from other parts of Sarawak migrated to Bintulu in those days.
Mobility can be predicted once the people recognize new opportunities and have the desire to improve themselves. Today mobility is escalating. The population pattern between the town and the rural area has changed. In the old days it used to be roughly 80% rural and 20% urban. Today, it is 51% urban and 49% rural.
DAP instead should demand for the succession plan from Karpal Singh and Lim Kit Siang, who cannot claim to be much younger than Pehin Sri Abdul Taib. Pehin Sri Abdul Taib, in spite of his age, is still strong and healthy and acceptable to an overwhelming majority of Bumiputras comprising of Malays/Melanaus, Ibans, Bidayuhs, Orang Ulus and others.
In this elections, DAP is fielding candidates only in Chinese majority constituencies, who only represent about 25% of the total population of the State. The urban voters should consider properly whether it is worthwhile voting for DAP to vent their anger on Pehin Sri Abdul Taib. The bigger risk is that they will be alienating themselves from Bumiputras with whom they have been living side since 300 or 200years ago.
However, votes for DAP, like in the previous elections can be considered as protest votes. For example, urban voters in Kuching have the history of voting for an ice seller over a veteran lawyer, a community leader over a respected lawyer and a social activist over a successful businessman. This is the history of the voting pattern of Kuching Bandar, which can be equated with that in Bandar Sibu.
Generally, It would have thought that DAP, known to have leaders and members, who are ICT savvy, would run a more intelligent campaign. Or could it be that DAP is insulting the intelligence of the people, who are not only Chinese, in Kuching. To most Bumiputras, DAP’s line of campaign to demonise Pehin Sri Abdul Taib is uncultured and uncalled for.
Why only campaign for Pehin Seri Abdul Taib to go just because he has been able to stay for 30 years in his job. Is length of Service really that matters? Indisputably, he has done a good job in developing the State, which is not an easy state to develop.
He may not put all major projects in Kuching, Sibu and Miri and make more local businessmen to become millionaires. He has to develop places like Ba’kelalan, Bario, Mukah, Betong, Balai Ringin, Tebedu, Padawan, Opar and others too for the benefits of Bumiputras. Otherwise, they could be resigned to their fates as down trodden people living in hardship and poverty.
He will go but he will not be replaced by DAP in the name of change. An overwhelming majority of the people believe that DAP’s brand of politics founded on chauvinism cannot be made the mainstream politics in Sarawak; even though it is being contained in urban areas, it is still bad for them.
Urban voters should ask what their elected representatives from DAP have done for them? They been making noises yes, very unnecessary noises. Their behaviors do not befit them as members of the State legislative Assembly or lawmakers.
Obviously, they have not been able to engage the government in healthy debates during sittings of the State legislative Assembly. They could only shouts or make unsubstantiated allegations against the government to make them being booted out of the Assembly. Obviously, they are very ignorant of government‘s process and procedures in running the administration. These are people who should be changed first.
benuasains
*Photos Source:
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