Sarawakians fight back.....sort of

Last weekends just concluded state elections was indeed a a bombshell for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).. yeah they got the two thirds majority and 62 of the 71 seats contested, but the opposition suprisingly did very well with DAP taking 7 seats, Keadilan taking 1 seat and an independent taking one. All in all the opposition held seats increased from 2 in the previous assembly to 9 for the new assembly. By normal standards this isn't much, but here in Bolehland it is a significant development. For starters the opposition swept up the the urban constituencies in Kuching and Sibu, and these are predominantly Chinese areas. The Chinese electorate is clearly not happy wit the goverment, non bumiputras suffer from institutionalised discrimination in education and business oppurtunities, on top of that Sarawak has been ruled by the same chief minister for the past 25 years who has treated the state as a personal fiefdom.

The latest developments in Sarawak are very encouraging, it implies that people are starting to think and realise that the current state of affairs are just not right and plain wrong and that they deserve better. Its amazing the opposition did well when pitted against the financial might of BN and also one sided media coverage by the mainstream press, and also Keadilan seen as many as a predominantly Malay perty (they are in fact non race based) won a seat in a Chinese majority area against the traditionally Chinese SUPP a component party of BN. But then of course BN being BN, they would never admit any of their shortcomings and would never acknowledge the real issues that ultimately made them pay dearly. Chief Minister publicly dismissed the real issues by commenting the electorate was "influenced by their propaganda" or ammusingly "perhaps because of betting". Issues such as corruption,cronyism, hike of petrol prices etc are ignored, as acknowledging them would just open a whole can of worms and expose their shortcomings.

Can there be ever a democratic change of government in this country? I believe so, its not easy but possible. For starters the opposition themselves must fashion themselves in a manner that leaves no doubt that they are representing the rights of all Malaysians regardless of race or religious beliefs. We certainly can't afford opposition politicians who make silly statements about divorcees and pretty women etc,these people are simply just a liability. Come up with credible policies on issues that effects people of all races and ages such as the economy, inflation, healthcare, education, cost of living, civil liberties, affirmative action based on needs not race etc. If you just keep on harping on issues such as an Islamic state ( i.e. PAS), you will not get anywhere. The opposition should also realise the younger Bolehlanders these days are generally ignorant and indifferent to the current state of affairs. Target these people, convince them you can give them a better deal . None of these are easy we all have to admit, but it can be done. With stringent media controls in these country, spreading the gospel is indeed a hurdle, come up with ways to sidestep these hurdles...aggresively use the internet, come up with independent underground press which appeal to the younger set. I believe it can make a difference in the long term. Sooner or latter with BN in power, the culture of cronyism, corruption and of course blatant stupidity will not be able to sustain the system.