Wednesday February 27, 2013
Opposition can kiss Serian, Mambong and Mas Gading goodbye, says academician
KUCHING: The Opposition’s hope of winning the three Bidayuh majority seats of Serian, Mambong and Mas Gading looks to be nothing more than a dream, according to an academician here.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) senior lecturer Dr Ahi Sarok said without village level branches, it was impossible for DAP to reach out to the rural voters.
Ahi also voiced his doubts on the credibility of DAP and PKR’s potential candidates, saying Bidayuh voters would not vote for candidates they consider too young, inexperienced and without position in their party’s national bodies.
“In contrast, Serian MP Datuk Richard Riot is the deputy president of SUPP while Mambong MP Datuk Dr James Dawos is PBB vice-president. Besides, both are deputy ministers in the Federal Cabinet, therefore, they command the people’s respect,” he said.
DAP has made clear its intention of fielding party worker Mordi Bimol in Mas Gading and Edward Andrew Luwak, its Serian branch chairman, in Serian.
PKR, which is eyeing Mambong, is keen on fielding Willie Mongin.
Ahi, however, warned that if the previous parliamentary and state elections were used as a yardstick, opposition candidates were capable of giving Barisan Nasional a fight as they commanded “a good number of sympathy votes” in the Bidayuh-majority areas.
However, he added, PKR would be a better opposition compared to DAP, which many Bidayuh voters considered a Chinese-based party.
Besides, he said, DAP’s plan to amend the Land Code could backfire on the party as many Bidayuhs feared losing their NCR land to non-natives with money to splash around.
Of the three seats, however, Mas Gading can expect at least a three-cornered fight. That too if DAP and PKR can solve their overlapping interests. The reason being State Reform Party (STAR) only recently claimed to be the strongest of the opposition parties in the area.
> From PAGE S1 STAR vice-president Patrick Anek Uren said the party would focus all its resources there.
Anek, a former Mas Gading MP from 1974 to 1986 and Tasik Biru assemblyman from 1974 to 1983 under SNAP, said if DAP and PKR refused to give way, Mas Gading could expect a multi-cornered fight.
Charles Chonggat, the chief of Kampung Rukam which is in Mas Gading, however, said it did not matter which opposition party contested because the majority of the voters had decided on their preference — BN.
“Whether DAP, PKR or independent, they will all lose. SPDP’s candidate (Salcra deputy general manager Anthony Nogeh) is a far better person than Mordi and Anek put together,” Charles said.
Edward said that he had been moving on the ground in Serian since the branch was re-activated in 2011.
“We have organised many programmes and happily more and more rural voters now understand DAP’s struggle,” he said in a telephone interview.
Asked if PKR was not interested in the seat, Edward said: “Let the Pakatan leaders decide. I strongly believe which party has the better edge.”
A source who refused to be identified said PKR had not made any serious move in Serian.
“DAP is a big contender as of now,” he said.