http://dapmalaysia.org Forward Feedback
Abdullah should tell Taib and George Chan to
snap out of their denial complex to boldly and democratically address the
many legitimate concerns of the electorate crying out for resolution
_____________________
Media Statement Taib had insulted the people of Sibu when he attributed the SUPP loss of Bukit Assek to DAP to betting � as reported by the Bernama report, "�Sorry� Was The Only Word Supp President Could Utter�, which said: �They (Sarawak
Barisan Nasional leaders gathered at the Chief Minister�s residence on
polling night) continued to monitor the election results on RTM and cheered
whenever a seat was declared in favour of the BN. In his first reaction to the SUPP election setbacks, Chan lamented: �I do not know why the Chinese voters rejected the SUPP candidates in Kuching and Sibu, and chose the Opposition candidates.� It is clear that both Taib and Chan have completely lost touch with the people and the ground, especially when the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had sensed even before the Sarawak general election that there was �something amiss� in the state � that something was �quite wrong� in Sarawak. Abdullah told reporters in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt yesterday that he �had sensed, even before the Sarawak state elections on Saturday, that the Barisan Nasional would be losing several state� but he did not want to talk about it publicly. The Prime Minister was not surprised by the Sarawak state general election result because he had expected the Barisan to lose several seats. He said: �I don't want to say this, but I had anticipated that. Something was not right, something was quite wrong.� It is really fantastic and outrageous that the Prime Minister could sense that �something was not right, something was quite wrong� even before the Sarawak state general election but the Sarawak BN and SUPP leaders had no clue whatsoever and publicly claim that they are still at a loss as to the causes for the anti-BN swing in the polls on Saturday. If the Sarawak BN and SUPP leaders cared to listen, they will find all these reasons in the mammoth DAP ceramahs all over the state during the election campaign and which are now out in the open in the media election analysis �for instance, in the following Star article today �Taib still has rein on Sarawak� which stated: �The reasons for SUPP's losses are well known by now. The urban voters were concerned about the leasehold expiration on their property, they were unhappy about the fuel price hike and felt that SUPP had not pushed hard enough for Chinese interests. �They also think Dr Chan was too much under the thumb of the Taibs, a perception ingrained no doubt by the fact that Dr Chan�s daughter is married to Taib�s son.� The Prime Minister said in Egypt that he did not want to talk publicly about what he had felt amiss about Sarawak Barisan Nasional as he can�t explain his feelings to the public but will say them to Taib. Abdullah should tell it straight to Taib, the Sarawak BN and SUPP leaders to accept with grace and democratic spirit the verdict of the voters of Sarawak in voting in nine Opposition Sarawak State Assembly representatives on Saturday, and to forgo the knee-jerk reaction of the Sarawak Barisan Nasional in the past general elections to punish the Opposition voters and instead to demonstrate the growing maturity and commitment of the Sarawak BN to the democratic process by thanking and heeding the voices of protest of voters who had exercised their fundamental constitutional democratic right to support Opposition candidates on Saturday. Furthermore, the Prime Minister should tell Taib and George Chan to snap out of their denial complex to boldly and democratically address the many legitimate concerns of the electorate crying out for resolution.
(22/05/2006)
Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP
Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission
Chairman |