Francis Paul Siah
COMMENT | In January, a month after the Dec 18 Sarawak election, a top leader of a Sarawak opposition party called me, saying that he would like to pick my brain on a proposed talk about opposition unity in the state.
What he told me was this – Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Wong Soon Koh was reported to be keen on initiating a “united front” among opposition parties in Sarawak.
This was prompted by the disastrous opposition outing in the state polls in which the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) won by a landslide. The governing coalition took 76 out of the 82 seats in the legislative assembly.
There is a general consensus within the opposition that going into the 15th general election (GE15) without a pact will again spell disaster for the opposition. That is a given. It is understood and acknowledged by all.
Wong felt that the opposition in Sarawak must work on a kind of understanding or cooperation before GE15, so I was made to understand.
COMMENT | In January, a month after the Dec 18 Sarawak election, a top leader of a Sarawak opposition party called me, saying that he would like to pick my brain on a proposed talk about opposition unity in the state.
What he told me was this – Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Wong Soon Koh was reported to be keen on initiating a “united front” among opposition parties in Sarawak.
This was prompted by the disastrous opposition outing in the state polls in which the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) won by a landslide. The governing coalition took 76 out of the 82 seats in the legislative assembly.
There is a general consensus within the opposition that going into the 15th general election (GE15) without a pact will again spell disaster for the opposition. That is a given. It is understood and acknowledged by all.
Wong felt that the opposition in Sarawak must work on a kind of understanding or cooperation before GE15, so I was made to understand.
PSB president Wong Soon Koh
My initial reply to my friend was: “Good, an electoral pact is necessary all the time, not only for the coming election, but for all elections. Only the politically naïve or greenhorns are unable to see that. However, whether so-called unity talks will be fruitful or not is another matter.
“But tell the PSB president to host a dinner during the first round of talks. Insist that the ‘empurau’ dish is on the menu. The host is a well-to-do former minister,” I suggested in jest.
Seriously, when it comes to so-called unity talks among politicians, I remain the “Doubting Thomas”. Let me make this declaration boldly – it will never succeed.
I have said it and I will say it again. If politicians on either side can unite, cows will fly and tigers will be happily singing like birds.
Staking claims for ‘safer’ seats
Why my distinct pessimism? The priorities and interests of politicians in this country are as diverse as their race, religion and their home ground. There is even parochialism to a hometown or state where they come from.
I was also involved in unity talks among opposition parties in Sarawak in years past. Negotiations were tough and heated at times too. There were moments when I felt that sharing the same table with those on the same side was worse than sitting down with those from the opposite side.
The most difficult hurdle in the negotiation was over seats. Every party wants to stake a claim for the ‘safer’ seats. That issue alone has never been resolved election after election and ever since there was an opposition alliance.
But the opposition has to portray an image of togetherness and cooperation to instil public confidence that it is serious about going for victory and change. That is about the only reason I can think of over the hype of unity talks.
Hence, I’m not surprised to hear of the announcement by Sarawak DAP deputy chair Alice Lau that her party and PSB will commence negotiation for a “united front” on Tuesday.
My initial reply to my friend was: “Good, an electoral pact is necessary all the time, not only for the coming election, but for all elections. Only the politically naïve or greenhorns are unable to see that. However, whether so-called unity talks will be fruitful or not is another matter.
“But tell the PSB president to host a dinner during the first round of talks. Insist that the ‘empurau’ dish is on the menu. The host is a well-to-do former minister,” I suggested in jest.
Seriously, when it comes to so-called unity talks among politicians, I remain the “Doubting Thomas”. Let me make this declaration boldly – it will never succeed.
I have said it and I will say it again. If politicians on either side can unite, cows will fly and tigers will be happily singing like birds.
Staking claims for ‘safer’ seats
Why my distinct pessimism? The priorities and interests of politicians in this country are as diverse as their race, religion and their home ground. There is even parochialism to a hometown or state where they come from.
I was also involved in unity talks among opposition parties in Sarawak in years past. Negotiations were tough and heated at times too. There were moments when I felt that sharing the same table with those on the same side was worse than sitting down with those from the opposite side.
The most difficult hurdle in the negotiation was over seats. Every party wants to stake a claim for the ‘safer’ seats. That issue alone has never been resolved election after election and ever since there was an opposition alliance.
But the opposition has to portray an image of togetherness and cooperation to instil public confidence that it is serious about going for victory and change. That is about the only reason I can think of over the hype of unity talks.
Hence, I’m not surprised to hear of the announcement by Sarawak DAP deputy chair Alice Lau that her party and PSB will commence negotiation for a “united front” on Tuesday.
Sarawak DAP deputy chairperson Alice Lau
Talking to the right people
Firstly, I’m not sure that DAP has chosen the right partner to talk to. To me, PSB leaders have trust issues. Their leaders like Wong and Baru Bian, for example, do not possess the integrity and credibility of leaders capable of helming a government.
No, I consider Wong and Baru “unstable” – politicians ready to jump as and when the situation warrants it and when their self-serving interests are not met.
Here, I wish to accord Wong some respect as he is already 80 by suggesting he retire after his term as Bawan Assan assemblyperson is over. There is nothing more for him to prove and most importantly, Wong must not pretend that he is a die-hard oppositionist. He is not.
Wong was a Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) minister for many years and few, me included, saw him as an opposition figure. He had it so good in SUPP and in the government for some three decades.
After falling out of favour with SUPP, Wong formed PSB and led the party into last December’s state election, hoping to topple the GPS government.
To be honest, I thought Wong was a better strategist and should have been able to read the signs before the election. No one thought GPS would be toppled. Was Wong dreaming? If so, his dream turned into a nightmare on the night of Dec 18 when the results were announced.
PSB was also infiltrated with known frogs like Sri Aman MP Masir Kujat and other former Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) leaders and traitors from Pakatan Harapan like Baru who double U-turned (from PKR, hesitated about joining Bersatu and finally landed in PSB) during the Sheraton putsch of February 2020.
Talking to the right people
Firstly, I’m not sure that DAP has chosen the right partner to talk to. To me, PSB leaders have trust issues. Their leaders like Wong and Baru Bian, for example, do not possess the integrity and credibility of leaders capable of helming a government.
No, I consider Wong and Baru “unstable” – politicians ready to jump as and when the situation warrants it and when their self-serving interests are not met.
Here, I wish to accord Wong some respect as he is already 80 by suggesting he retire after his term as Bawan Assan assemblyperson is over. There is nothing more for him to prove and most importantly, Wong must not pretend that he is a die-hard oppositionist. He is not.
Wong was a Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) minister for many years and few, me included, saw him as an opposition figure. He had it so good in SUPP and in the government for some three decades.
After falling out of favour with SUPP, Wong formed PSB and led the party into last December’s state election, hoping to topple the GPS government.
To be honest, I thought Wong was a better strategist and should have been able to read the signs before the election. No one thought GPS would be toppled. Was Wong dreaming? If so, his dream turned into a nightmare on the night of Dec 18 when the results were announced.
PSB was also infiltrated with known frogs like Sri Aman MP Masir Kujat and other former Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) leaders and traitors from Pakatan Harapan like Baru who double U-turned (from PKR, hesitated about joining Bersatu and finally landed in PSB) during the Sheraton putsch of February 2020.
Selangau MP Baru Bian
That Baru made an about-turn at the eleventh hour does not exonerate him from being labelled as part of the PKR defector Azmin Ali cartel. Betraying PKR, the party that gave Baru his political career is treacherous enough. In Sarawak PKR today, his name is considered a dirty word.
Then, what happened to Masir after the Sarawak election? The Sri Aman MP jumped again. He had resigned from PSB and pledged his support for the federal government, unashamedly asking for “one or two million” in funding for his constituency.
I do not see much of a future for a party filled with such shady characters. Good luck to Sarawak DAP in its attempt to sleep with the enemy.
Good luck especially to Lanang MP Lau in her new role to negotiate with “Uncle Wong”. Both are from Sibu.
Lau, a question for you. Will you give up your Lanang seat to a PSB candidate or any other candidate from other parties come GE15?
I wouldn’t if I were you and I know you would not too. This is a pre-condition - the Lanang seat belongs to Lau of DAP. That is not negotiable, right?
To enter a negotiation with pre-conditions is no negotiation at all. So, let’s not pretend we are negotiating anything substantial for the good and benefit of the people. Stop lying to ourselves and the voters.
It is for this reason too that any unity talk among the opposition is a waste of time. It will never work.
That Baru made an about-turn at the eleventh hour does not exonerate him from being labelled as part of the PKR defector Azmin Ali cartel. Betraying PKR, the party that gave Baru his political career is treacherous enough. In Sarawak PKR today, his name is considered a dirty word.
Then, what happened to Masir after the Sarawak election? The Sri Aman MP jumped again. He had resigned from PSB and pledged his support for the federal government, unashamedly asking for “one or two million” in funding for his constituency.
I do not see much of a future for a party filled with such shady characters. Good luck to Sarawak DAP in its attempt to sleep with the enemy.
Good luck especially to Lanang MP Lau in her new role to negotiate with “Uncle Wong”. Both are from Sibu.
Lau, a question for you. Will you give up your Lanang seat to a PSB candidate or any other candidate from other parties come GE15?
I wouldn’t if I were you and I know you would not too. This is a pre-condition - the Lanang seat belongs to Lau of DAP. That is not negotiable, right?
To enter a negotiation with pre-conditions is no negotiation at all. So, let’s not pretend we are negotiating anything substantial for the good and benefit of the people. Stop lying to ourselves and the voters.
It is for this reason too that any unity talk among the opposition is a waste of time. It will never work.
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment