Bidayuh Forum Night to drum support for BN

KUCHING: Infrastructure Development and Communications Datuk Seri Michael Manyin made it clear when he said the series of dinners organised under the Bidayuh Forum Bidayuh Night 2012 was to drum the Bidayuh support towards Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in the coming parliamentary election.

Manyin predicted that the 13^th general election will be held in June this year.

He said the Bidayuh community should be united in BN so that they are able to move forward in term of development, on par with the other communities by 2020.

"If we Bidayuh want to go forward together with other communities, we must correct our political struggle, and make sure our children are given adequate education, including skills training," he said at the second Udung Bidayuh dinner at Kampung Sinjok community hall near Siburan during the weekend.

Hence he urged the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) and Bidayuh Graduates Association (BGA) to continue efforts to promote education among the Bidayuhs.

He said the Bidayuh Forum which comprises of all the Bidayuh elected representatives and political secretary has been successful in its efforts to unite the elected representative and political leaders to work together for the betterment of the community.

He said under the Bidayuh Forum all the elected representatives from different political parties could sit down and discuss how to solve the problems affected the community.

The Bidayuh community should discard clans and regional politics for the community stronger representation in politics.

He said the Bidayuh shouldn’t be looking at the candidates from Bau, Lundu, Serian or Penrissen and whether from the Jagoi Bratak or Singai group.

"Bidayuh candidates can contest in any of the Bidayuh areas regardless from which area and clan he or she comes from,” said Manyin.

He said what is most important was to unite the Bidayuhs in politics.

Manyin was referring to the struggle between the Beratak Jagoi and Singai clans over the Mas Gading parliamentary seat.

There was a written agreement signed by several leaders of two clans where it was mutually agreed that the candidate for the Tasik Biru state seat should come from among the Singai people whereas candidate for the Mas Gading parliamentary seat from the Bratak Jagoi people.

The present MP for Mas Gading Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe is a Bratak Jagoi while the Tasik Biru representative Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie is a Bisingai.

"Do not look at our dialects differences and area of origin but look at our common culture to unite us as a strong community," said Manyin.

Meanwhile chairman of the dinner organising committee Temenggong Datuk Stephen Jussem said the last two dinners with the first one in Dewan Suarah Bau in February has received good attendance from the Bidayuhs in the districts.

He said the third dinner will be held on May 5 at Dewan Suarah Serian.

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Sabotaging - SPDP, G5 and DAP playing with numbers

If the last weekend happenings could be taken as the indication, then the people in Mas Gading constituency can expect free dinners every weekend prior to the Parliamentary election.

It seem that the three groups, namely SPDP, Group 5 (G5) and DAP are playing with numbers – all trying to show they have the bigger support and using their gatherings to attract attendees.

SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan seem unhappy with action of the G5 who he accused of disrupting the party’s programmes by having coinciding events.

“Their disruptive actions to SPDP, being a component party in the BN are not the behaviour condoned by the Barisan,” said Mawan.

Mawan vowed to commit all strength and resources to wipe out all those who oppose SPDP and BN, especially in Mas Gading.

He said the party is duty bound to fight those continue to sabotage and undermine the party, and defend and safeguard all its seats and maintain solidarity within the BN.

“We have the resources and commitment to ensure that the party and BN’s interest are not undermined,” he stressed.

Mawan, who is also Senior Minister for Social Development said they have no problem with the five being elected representatives to continue serv8ing their constituencies, which are traditionally allocated to SPDP.

Meanwhile the lobby race to get nominated as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in Mas Gading constituency in the coming general election between Sarawak Progressive Democratic (SPDP) and G5 is becoming more hotter and competitive now.

Sources said the G5 are monitoring very closely to all SPDP movements and activities in the constituency.

According to the source, the G5 will do all they could to ‘sabotage’ activities and events organised by SPDP in the area by having their activities on the same day and time but at different venue.

“The obvious was the last Saturday’s night dinner when SPDP Tasik Biru held their solidarity dinner at the Dewan Suarah Bau while fthe G5 held their on the same date and time at the REEDEMS Centre in Singai.

The source said the G5 are also monitoring SPDP Tasik Biru proposed sports carnival and fun fair on April 27 and 28 at the Fiary Cave near here.

Mawan will officiate at the launching of the carnival on April 27 while Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit has been invited to officiate at the closing the next day.

Meanwhile for the last weekend dinner, the G5 claimed that they have successfully lure-in majority of the community leaders in the Mas Gading constituency, claiming 1000 people attended the dinner.

Even State Assemblyman for Opar is said to be among those community leaders who were at the G5 dinner, but the source said the dinner was given free for the community leaders and the other guests and that was why they attended it.

In another development, a source said the support to SPDP group faded after Mawan announced that the party has shortlisted Henry Jinep, a successful local businessman and Anthony Nogeh, Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority's (Salcra) deputy general manager as candidate for Mas Gading.

Henry is a Bisingai while Nogeh is a Bijagoi.

Sources said the voters in Mas Gading especially the Bijagoi and the Selako are not in favour of Henry Jinep, a Bisingai as the candidate as they wanted a Bijagoi to represent them, thus made them swung their supports to the G5 group.

Previously there was an agreement among the local community leaders that the State Assemblyman for Tasik Biru to come from the Bisingai community, while the representative for Mas Gading should come from the Bijagoi community.

But the support may have changed after Nogeh was announced as the frontrunner for Mas Gading constituency by SPDP deputy president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing at the party’s solidarity dinner at Dewan Suarah Bau on Saturday’s night.

Nogeh claimed that he have the support of the Chinese community leaders and the Chinese voters in the constituency.

SPDP sacked its former secretary-general Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran on Nov 25 last year and followed by four other leaders on January 14 following the part’s Supreme Council meeting on the same day.

The four stripped of their post are Senior Vice President and Tasik Biru Assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian, Vice President and Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, Information Chief and Batu Danau Assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang and Supreme Council member and Bekenu Assemblyman Rosey Yunus.

The five including Sylvester Entri dubbed the "SPDP 5" caused a stir within the party after declaring they have lost faith and confidence in Mawan and repeatedly issued media statements attacking the party president.

Mawan said the SPDP Supreme Council also decided that Tiki would not be re-nominated to contest in Mas Gading because he was not the most winnable candidate while Nansian can kiss good bye to Tasik Biru seat in the next state election.

Meanwhile preparation for SPDP much anticipated two-day carnival “Jom Otto Birami Bisamah SPDP” at the Fairy Cave here on April 27 and 28 is progressing smoothly and expected to attract large crowd.

Plenty of activities including sporting activities, colouring contest, poco-poco dance, cultural performance and 30 stalls selling food, drinks, handicrafts and jungle produce will fill the two-day carnival.

The event is jointly organised by Respdemop Sports and Recreation Club, the Wanita, Puteri and Putera Wings of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and the JKKK Krokong community.

Live band performance will also be held on Friday and Saturday night at the cave’s site which is expected to attract thousands of people from the nearby villages and from far.
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