LAND OF THE HORNBILLS

Sarawak currently has 31 parliamentary and 71 state seats. Its population is made up from 30% Iban, 26% Chinese, 22% Malays, 8% Bidayuhs, 5.5% Melanaus and 5.5% Orang Ulu consisting of Kayans, Lun Bawangs, Kelabits, Kenyahs, Penans, Sebobs plus a few more smaller tribes. (Non Malaysians make up the remainder 3%.)

CORRIDORS OF POWER by Hakim Joe

Sarawak is considered one of the poorest and least developed states in Malaysia despite its abundance of natural resources including timber (world's largest exporters of tropical hardwood timber), LNG (world’s second largest exporters of LNG together with Sabah) and petroleum.

The Alliance/BN has politically controlled the state since its inception in 1963. The first Chief Minister is of course the famous Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan (from SNAP) until he was ousted in 1966 to be replaced by Datuk Penghulu Tawi Sli (former SNAP secretary) of Pesaka. Tun Abdul Rahman Ya'kub became the third CM in 1970 and governed Sarawak until he stepped down and was subsequently appointed as the Governor in 1981. The vacant CM seat then fell to the new president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud (nephew of Tun Abdul Rahman Ya'kub). The rest is history.

The demographics of Sarawakians are something we should take note of. The majority of Ibans (Sea Dayaks) are Christians, so are the Bidayuhs (Land Dayaks), Kayans, Kelabits and Penans. The Melanaus are Muslims. So, in terms of segregating the religious faiths, it can be said that the majority of Sarawakians are non-Muslims and owing to its diversified mixture of different races and indigenous people, religious and racial tones are never employed during the political campaigning here.

Currently the four Sarawak political parties aligned to BN are Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Sarawak People's Party (PRS). The Sarawak National Party (SNAP) was expelled from BN in 2004.

The last time Sarawak held a state election was in 2006 where BN won 62 of the 71 contested seats. In 2001, BN won 60 of the 62 contested seats. The next state elections will be held before the 24th of April 2011. Let us analyse the results:

For BN, PBB won 35 seats, SUPP won 11 seats, SPDP won 8 seats and PRS also won 8 seats. For the opposition, PKR won 1 seat, SNAP won 1 seat, DAP won 6 seats and 1 seat went to an independent.

Of the 69 contested seats (2 were won uncontested by BN), 18 seats saw a winning majority increase for BN while 51 seats saw a swing to non-BN contestants. Meradong (N40) had the largest swing of 43.8% where DAP beat 4 other contestants while Satok (N8) recorded the lowest swing of a mere 0.5%. On the average, all the contested seats saw an average swing of 8.2% towards non-BN contestants.

Analysis shows that this event was precipitated by a swing of the Chinese votes from SUPP to other non-BN parties. Of the 9 seats that BN lost, 6 were SUPP incumbents. This election also witnessed BN fielding 15 Chinese contestants of which 6 lost. Of the remaining 9 seats which BN won, the declining majority exhibit a swing of 16.9% away from them. Overall, seats where BN nominated Chinese candidates showed a swing of 18.8% to the opposition.

What does this all mean? It means that even with an overall average swing of 8.2% to the opposition, BN still won 62 seats or 87.3% of the 71 seats. To have won the 9th state election on a simple majority, the opposition must have an average minimum swing of 12.9% (where 28 of the least majority BN won seats are instead won by the opposition by 1 or two votes) and the Chinese swing from 18.8% to 20.3%. Is this a lot? The required (minimum) 4.7% increase amounts to only 29,491 votes, or 12,746 BN voters changing allegiance.

Sarawak can be won over by the opposition and that is a fact as exhibited by the figures above. The 30% Iban voters holds the key to this goal. 10 seats which BN won were decided on a majority less than 1,000 votes (19 BN seats if less than 2,000 votes). 2011 is not that far a time in the future that Pakatan can dally until a later date before taking action to counter the BN monopoly.

At the very least, Pakatan can attempt to win enough seats (24 seats) to stop BN commanding a two-thirds majority in the Sarawak state assembly.

Playing Second Fiddle

I was back from work, looking at positive things. Hoping that all those grey clouds would blow away, and tings will turn great with a trip. Had it planned, a pick-up, some work to be done, a trip to the beach, and then dinner somewhere nice… but yeah… It’s gone and buried. Despite a positive start to March, things turned sour. Don’t know where it actually started, but it’s going in that path.

This blog has seen way too much of my depression. I’ve been way too personal. At some point, I think those under me are sort of like suffering too, because I have become ‘heartless’, and more ‘hard headed’ in implementing my ‘rules and regulations’. Pitty them, but I see myself transforming slowly. I realize it, but I can’t help it. I think, some are starting to dislike my new policies… but I think it’s for the better good. Don’t know how they feel.

Born as the eldest, I am always the first in getting my hands on things. I can say that I felt everything first before my siblings. Enjoyed the strict rules adhered by my parents which include time to play, time to watch TV, time to sleep, time to eat etc. etc.. And I have grown sticking to many of those rules till today simply because they benefit me. When I work, I work my ass out. When I play, I play till I’m too tired to continue.. You get my drift. I do things in that way, with a full sense of wholeness and completion when you do something. I never regard doing something half-heartedly as good. Is either I’m in, or I’m out. Never in-between.

My relationships with friends and close ones are also the same. I have little friends, because I don’t like having friends which are just there when you are having fun. I dislike sharing, so that may explain why I always click with the ones I love, and try to give them whatever I can. Hey, it’s me… I’d do anything if I know that someone will always have my back. I did mention this in a tag I previously did.. stating “Would sacrifice anything I can, to make the ones I love happy“, because I find my personal happiness when I look at those I love happy.

In work, I do the things I enjoy and can commit too. There was this incident last year, where some of the seniors in Scouts didn’t like me meddling in the affairs of ‘their Scouts’, saying I was biased, misusing power, and trying to bring them down, when the fact was, I was just trying to instill discipline in Scouts by asking them to wear the uniform properly, and using shoes for camping… but hey, they disapproved, so I choose out, than to have more confrontations. I committed myself to my Robotics Team, and hell.. they became the best team in Kuching/Samarahan!!

So, when I am placed in a situation where I am second to something/someone, I find it difficult to accept it. I find it just downgrading, and depressing, and painful. I am not used to be someone whom is less important to someone. It brings the worst out of me. I feel betrayed and very much sad and frustrated. Then, anger will be take over, and sadness will overcome any good news.

At some point, I do feel that I am worthless. Nothing. Zit. Zero. Nada. Bo. But that’s a feeling. It goes and it comes, and I remain standing… gripping to what I can, who I can…

Sometimes, my mind tells me that I am not important. Insignificant. Nobody… to those around me. It’s majorly due the conflicts on what I think, and what others think. I make decisions on what I think would make others happy, but sometimes, they don’t see it that way, thinking that they should make me happy instead by ignoring what I want. But I will be happy to see them happy… Hmm, See the conflict?

Urgghh… I’m not hating anyone, because hate is a strong word. I’m not cursing anyone, because cursing is not good. I’m not disliking anyone because there is no point to that.

But I will say these words again, just like I said it somewhere in my post here before: “Sometimes, I give my best.. my very best… but I guess my very best is not enough“, especially when you finally realize, you are only playing a second fiddle to something/someone more significant than you.

Does life suck?? NOPE. Life’s great… it’s me that suck… I need some asprin. I’ll be staying home till the sun rises again tomorrow.