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| From left: Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, Datuk Peter Nansian, Datuk Richard Riot and Datuk Seri Michael Manyin at the "Ngarum Udung Bidayuh 2012" dinner in Bau last Sarturday's night (Feb 26). |
Besides the statements made by Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) Tan Sri William Mawan and group as well as Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie and Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, several community leaders, political leaders, Bidayuh and Selako intellectuals in Mas Gading were interviewed to ask on their views and opinions with regards the SPDP crisis and choice of candidate for the coming general election.
From the interviews, it was concluded that they all wants political stability and a good Member of Parliament to represent them in Mas Gading.
Should Dr Tiki not re-nominated for the coming general election, they preferred Pahon to be fielded to replace Dr Tiki, while Ryan came in as their second favourite.
“Mawan has announced the sacking of Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe from the party but the Mas Gading MP is still moving around in his constituency to garner support from the constituents,” said Opar State Assemblyman Ranum Mina.
He hoped the quarrel between the two camps can be solved before the general election so as not to create confusion among the voters.
“I hope the two groups can reconcile and work together for the sake of Barisan Nasional (BN) and the people in Mas Gading constituency,” added Ranum.
When the time arrived, he hoped the two factions can work together for the benefit of BN in facing the coming general election.
“Whoever BN’s leaders chose and nominated as the candidate we should support.
“As for me whoever is nominated as a BN’s candidate in Mas Gading I will give my full support, even if he is to be Datuk Dr Tiki re-nominated to contest,” said Ranum.
He advised voters in Mas Gading not to be too involved in the issue, adding that it will not bring any good to them and the constituency.
“Leave it to the party and BN’s leadership to decide the candidate. Whoever is the candidate let us give our full support,” he added.
A community leader for the Selako community in Lundu, Pemanca London Tasin said Mas Gading need a good MP who is able to serve the constituents.
“The constituents are wiser now and they knew very well who shall be the best person to serve them and they will vote for that person when the election comes,” said London.
Thus, he said the top BN’s leadership should pick the most winnable candidate for Mas Gading seat.
SPDP sacked its former secretary-general Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran last Nov 25 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.
Mawan has also said the party had at least four candidates to replace Tiki. They are State Tourism and Heritage Ministry's permanent secretary Datuk Ik Pahon Joyik, Rayan Narong, an accountant with a private sector here; Anthony Nogeh, Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority's (Salcra) deputy general manager, Henry Jinep, a successful local entrepreneur and his brother William Jinep, a senior government servant.
Tiki and Nansian’s camp has formed what they called BN’s Club and has already started their round of meeting the people session in the constituency, while Mawan has not started theirs except two including the one held on Jan 13 at Dewan Suarah Bau, a dinner hosted for the Jagoi Bratak community leaders.
A political analyst from the constituency opined that Mawan should announce his candidate fast in order not to let the five aspiring candidates to wait until the last minute.
He said SPDP and Mawan shouldn’t under estimate Tiki support in the constituency following his sacking from the party.
He claimed that Tiki support in the constituency was down before the sacking but has risen up after the sacking due to several invisible hands in trying to deny SPDP’s victory in the constituency in the coming general election.
“Pick and announce your candidate fast to enable the selected one to start moving around because time is short, otherwise Dr Tiki will get all the mileage,” he added.
Another prominent community leader in Lundu who preferred anonymity said Dr Tiki popularity has dropped, saying the BN’s leadership shouldn’t even be re-nominated him to defend the seat.
He claimed that Tiki has failed to serve his constituents satisfactorily, the accusation which Tiki denied.
Incumbent Tiki confidently said his political fate actually lies with two persons – the Prime Minister who is national BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Taib, who is state BN’s chairman.
“But if Tiki is allowed then it will set precedent for other to fight their party leaders, then get sacked and form BN’s Club and re-nominated to defend their seat in the election,” said a Bidayuh intellectual who declined his identity to be revealed.
Chairman of the Bung Bratak heritage Association Datuk Peter Minos said local sentiments and ground issues should be carefully considered in choosing winnable candidate in the coming general election, especially for Mas Gading.
He said BN leaders should listen well and think well on what the voters want and desire, including the local sentiments and the issues on the ground.
“Knowing and appreciating local or ground sentiments is a necessary and essential ingredient for victory,” stressed Minos.
The Jagoi Bratak clan is lobbying that the candidate for Mas Gading seat in the coming general election should come from among them.
Minos pointed out that in the 2008 Parliamentary election many BN candidates lost and one of the reasons was the failure of understanding and appreciating local sentiments and ground issues.
Minos said the voters in Mas Gading has always stand ready in ensuring BN’s victory.
“We in Mas Gading pray and hope that the top BN leaders will exercise their intelligence and wisdom in choosing a winnable candidate for the parliamentary constituency,” he said.
He said the Bidayuh in Mas Gading believe in BN and the concept of winnable candidate, adding they want winnable BN candidates because they wanted BN to continue ruling Sarawak and Malaysia.
“A winnable candidate must of course be credible and acceptable to the voters and he or she must be respected by the people and worthy to be voted,” he added.
According to Minos, BN leaders had done well for Tasik Biru and Opar, the two State constituencies under Mas Gading.
He said in the last State Election the voters of Mas Gading voted for BN and BN also won the Tasik Birui and Opar seats.
“We are pretty certain that the Mas Gading voters will repeat the same trend in the coming Parliamentary Election,” he said.
Tiki said his constituency could only be successfully defended with support from all BN component parties because SPDP only had a limited number of members there.
“But why only now he declared that the party had a limited number of members. Why not before?” he asked.
Tiki had said that there are only 5,000 to 6,000 members of SPDP in Mas Gading, adding that he was elected under the BN’s ticket.
As such, he stressed that as the incumbent he will carry on the mandate by BN and the people.
Tiki said this to reporters covering the launching of the first batch of PLKN for the year at Kuching Civic Centre recently.
Tiki said he still wanted to contest, and he firmly believed that he could still serve well if given another chance by the BN leadership.
He even claimed that ketua kaum there or even Opar Assemblyman Ranum Mina is behind him, but the claim was denied by a prominent community leader from the constituency and Ranum made it clear that he had never siding anyone in the issue.
Tiki was re-elected in the 12th general election in 2008 in a four cornered fight.
He garnered 8,551 votes, leaving Dr Patau Rubis (SNAP) with 4,250 votes and Independents Favian Tisen (1,476) and Apin Baeng (306).
Mas Gading, with 21,968 voters as of the 2008 election, houses two state seats - Opar and Tasik Baru.
Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on Feb 4 has said that he has no wish to intervene in the internal strife plaguing both Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).
On SPDP, A Barisan Nasional (BN) component party with internal disputes, Taib also said he would leave the situation alone for now.
He said the party’s problems were part of its efforts to organise its structure and leadership.
Mawan said the five sacked YBs will not be re-nominated but the Chief Minister said he will decide on who should contest in Mas Gading.
Thus, making the issue looks more complicated now.
SPDP secretary-general Nelson Balang Rining had said SPDP is a political party with principles as it adheres to the constitution and principles of Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said it is therefore relevant in the society despite the ‘misperception’ which two independent representatives, namely Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie and Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, tried to create in the minds of people in Bau.
Balang said he had not received any resignation letter from members of SPDP in Mas Gading division.
So technically, the 1,000 members said to be siding Nansian and Tiki are still very much party members, he pointed out.
Balang was responding to a public query on whether SPDP or other BN parties for that matter would lose their relevance when five independent representatives tried to champion the setting up of a BN club.
He said SPDP is still relevant to society. “Those who said they are not are trying to play down BN’s relevance in society too. BN is a coalition of political parties.”
To him, formation of BN clubs would only open the floodgates and set a bad precedent in the government fold.
“Such approval does not augur well for BN’s future. BN is a coalition of political parties and clubs would only set to make all 14 parties in BN irrelevant one day, he stressed.
“Even if these clubs later on spring into action and turn BN into a single entity or party, there will be no more power-sharing concept which is practised by the fold now,” he added.
SPDP will be holding its Triennial General Meeting (TGM) on March 17 and 18 in Bintulu to regularise their actions apart from reconsolidating members from all over Sarawak. The party now has around 90,000 members.
The infamous ‘SPDP 5' who were sacked from Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) are claiming that the party is no longer relevant especially in the Mas Gading and Tasik Biru constituencies.
They are claiming that the dissolution of the two SPDP branches in Tasik Biru and Mas Gading, has paved the way for them to set up BN supporters clubs in the constituencies.
However the setting up of the club been criticised by several quarters and Nansian and the group were also criticised for luring community leaders into their style of politics.
Among those against the formation of such club were the Deputy Parliament Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Wan Jaafar and a Bidayuh community leaders Pemanca Austin Dimin who said community leaders shouldn’t be dragged in into the dispute.
Dimin has voiced out that politicians should instigate community leaders into the quarrel.
Such comment by Dimin was logic despite certain people from Tiki and Nansian’s camp were unhappy with Dimin’s comment.
Dimin had said that since the formation of the club has not been approved it is considered illegal and nobody should be recruited as members yet.
The battle for the ‘hearts and minds’ of voters in these constituencies has become increasingly fierce as both sides try to justify their existence.
While the five claim they are BN elected representatives, SPDP however is insisting that they are independent representatives and are outside the BN now that the party has sacked them. SPDP is a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition in Sarawak.
The five meanwhile have formed a BN club which is awaiting Registrar of Societies’ (ROS) approval.
Nansian said with the dissolution of the branches, thousands of SPDP members and families will be joining the club.
Thus, he claimed that they have already signed an agreement of support with 34 community leaders who they claimed represent some 1,000 followers.
Currently SPDP has about 10,000 members in the constituencies.
Entrie took a swipe at a UNIMAS lecturer Dr Jeneri Amir whom he described as unprofessional, baseless and wrong description of the BN spirit.
He said Dr Jeniri had failed to address the real BN spirit of inclusiveness, consensus, good leadership and serving the people.
Entri was unhappy that they be called BN independents, saying that they were elected on BN ticket, and not on independent tickets.
Dr Jeniri had said that the formation of the club was a bad medicine for BN and a portend of disgruntled BN party members making a similar move to disrupt the BN spirit and understanding.
Meanwhile opposition Sarawak DAP blamed SPDP president William Mawan’s weak leadership for the party’s strive.
Mordi Bimol, who is the special assistant to Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen said Mawan is not effective within the BN.
He alleged that as president, Mawan has no autonomy to make decision on who he is going to put as a candidate for SPDP in the (Mas Gading) constituency.
Instead he confidently said Tiki is going to defend his seat with or without the blessing of SPDP because his candidacy depends on the BN chairman and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Bimol statement was regarded as no basis and was just Bimol assumption for his political mileage.
Mawan is adamant that incumbent Mas Gading Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe will not stand in the coming election as a direct Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate without the party's endorsement.
Mawan also made another statement recentky that SPDP will not give up its Mas Gading parliamentary seat. It will instead nominate a new candidate for the constituency.
He said the name will be forwarded to the chairman of Barisan Nasional for endorsement.
SPDP has four allocated parliamentary seats – Mas Gading, Saratok, Baram and Bintulu – in accordance with the spirit of BN.
Tiki, meanwhile, said yesterday that he will defend his seat in the 13th general election.
Mawan being gentlemen enough said he cannot prevent Tiki from contesting.
“If that is his choice (to contest), then I cannot stop him. It is up to him to contest as an independent candidate.”
Tiki said that his candidacy does not depend on SPDP, but on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is the BN chairman and on Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, both of whom have the final say in fielding or dropping him in the next election.
A Bidayuh politician said it will be very difficult for the BN to make a decision.
“Supporting Tiki will mean that SPDP will be ‘out’ of BN at least in the constituency and not supporting Tiki will mean that he is going to contest as an independent candidate.
“Whatever it is, and whoever is using the BN ticket, the Mas Gading seat where voters are mostly Bidayuhs is heading for a major split,” he said.
“This will greatly enhance the chance of the opposition in the area,” he added.
He pointed out that the opposition has been actively campaigning for the seat in the past one year or so.
“The opposition members have been visiting the villages almost nightly,” he added.
Tiki and four other elected representatives known as Rentap or G5 (group of 5) have crossed paths with Mawan since the beginning of last year.
The prolonged crisis led to the expulsion of the G5 leader Sylvester Entri from the party and the dropping of Lafe from the list of candidates for the coming election.
Other members of the G5 are Peter Nansian (Tasik Biru Assemblyman), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Paulus Gumbang (Batu Danau).
Taib ghad also made it loud and clear that Barisan Nasional (BN) will field only a winnable candidate in Mas Gading in the coming general election.
He said that it was useless to field a candidate unless one was really sure that the person could win.
“What is the use of fielding a candidate unless you are really sure that he will win? Fielding a candidate who will not win is just like helping the opposition,” he had said.
But Taib said that the problem in SPDP was not really pervasive because despite the prevailing crisis, both sides were still very devoted to playing their roles in serving the people through BN.
“Despite the internal party problem, none of them want to even think outside BN. So that shows the leaders who have been sacked including their followers still want to support BN,” he said.
He also said that the proposal by the former SPDP leaders to form Sarawak BN Club was a good sign that clearly indicated that no matter what problems they faced within the party, they still wanted to stay within BN and serve as BN elected representatives.
Now just wait to see who will make trhe final call.
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