In what is seen as a bid to reverse the tide of support for the Pakatan Rakyat, Prime Minister Najib Razak has started to hint that Chief Minister Taib Mahmud will be bundled out soon, but whether the PM realizes it or not, it may also be himself and his controversial policies that Sarawakians may want to send a message to.
"Taib has been in power for 30 years and BN (Najib's coalition) for 54 years. If they had wanted to remove Taib, they should have done so decades ago and save the Sarawakian people so much pain and poverty," PKR Sarawak chief Baru Bian told Malaysia Chronicle.
"If Najib has the power to remove Taib, he would done so before the state assembly was dissolved, not now when his back is to the wall. How can he remove Taib, when he dare not even order the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission to investigate Taib? If Najib stands for justice, when didn't his federal government put a stop to the rape of the Penan women. Why did they allow it to happen over and over again for decades and now say, it is Taib's fault. The fact is, they are hand in glove, both are the same, both are disgraceful and both should be voted out."
Taib has promised to step down in two years' time but that has not gone down well with Sarawakians, who fear he will pass the baton to a family member, who will continue his regime of oppression and corruption.
They also want him to be investigated and the loot that he and his BN cronies have allegedly taken to be impounded and returned to the state.
Stunning manifesto
Since campaigning officially kicked off last week, the Pakatan led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has gained unprecedented support. Despite best efforts by their rivals to hamper them, Pakatan leaders from PKR, DAP and PAS captured the imagination of some 2.5 million Sarawakians with their Berubah-lah or Change Now slogan.
In particular, Sarawakians were attracted by the Pakatan's 10-point manifesto that vowed to probe Taib and his cronies and return any ill-gotten wealth back to the people.
Despite its vast natural resources and petroleum revenue, Sarawak is Malaysia's poorest state.
Yet on Sunday, Najib assured Sarawakians that Taib had already promised to "go". He urged them not to listen to the "lies" of the Pakatan. Not once did the PM mention the mountain of graft allegations against Taib or that he will order the MACC to initiate a probe against the Sarawkian leader.
“Believe me, believe in me, when the time is right, we carry this out. Do not be hasty and believe in the opposition’s lies. Ladies and gentlemen, do not worry. We have made plans so that a change will happen in the Sarawak top leadership, a planned and organised change. If we make a shock change, a state of uncertainty will ensue,” Najib told a rally in Kuching on Sunday night.
Najib and cousin Hisham behind the Bibles fiasco
His comments were immediately condemned by Pakatan leaders, who called it another "election bribe".
They pointed that it was Najib who was behind the Malay Bibles row to gain favor from the Malays in the peninsula and that his cousin, Hishammuddin Hussein, had till the end insisted on two sets of rules for Christians in the country - one for those in the peninsula and another for those in East Malaysia.
Christians leaders have already made it clear they are not happy with the solution offered by Najib and Hisham as it would only divide the Christians in the country.
They also pointed out that after the Sarawak elections were over, the duo could use a Court of Appeal ruling over the word Allah to overturn the decision to let Sarawakians free access to the Alkitab without insisting on a form of defacement to appease the Muslims in the country.
Already Umno-linked Perkasa has sounded out a warning to Christians not to 'test the patience' of the Malays.
“How many Malays are Christian? Why do you have to have bibles in Bahasa? Why not use bahasa Iban, or Kadazan? This is a problem of national security. Malays have been far too giving, I want to remind them to not be excessive in their demands. They are not the majority of the country,” Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali said on Sunday night.
Just as corrupt as Taib - do not exchange one dictator for another
Pakatan leaders also pointed that Najib was dogged by as many scandals as Taib and only his hold on the premiership prevented a full-scale investigation into the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder and corruption case.
"When Najib canceled the Cabinet meeting to go campaign in Sarawak for 6 full days, it showed the BN was not confident of Taib. Now that Najib is starting to hint that Taib will be shown the door when he doesn't even dare to instruct the MACC to investigate Taib, it shows that he is not confident of himself," PKR communications director Nik Nazmi told Malaysia Chronicle.
DAP MP for Bukit Bendera Liew Chin Tong warned that Najib's presence meant that he would unleash the full might of the federal machinery to ensure that BN retained control of Sarawak - wthether through fair or foul means.
He urged Sarawakians to be on alert and to arise now and fight Najib and Taib, or remain oppresssed and downtrodden without control over their own destiny and prosperity.
"Over the past four days of campaigning, the DAP and Pakatan Rakyat were received with enthusiasm and unprecedented crowds. From Sibu to Sarikei, the tremendous groundswell of support has demonstrated the most encouraging indications as yet," Chin Tong, the secretary of the DAP's national election committee, said in a statement.
"But now, this state election campaign has entered an entirely different phase with Prime Minister Najib Razak taking over the reins from Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. With Najib joining the fray, this now morphs into an election of national proportions - with the entire Federal Cabinet and government machinery at Barisan Nasional’s disposal."
"The DAP and Pakatan Rakyat cannot fight the Najib machinery alone. We need the people of Sarawak to stand up and throw their weight behind this election. For every Iban, Melanau, Orang Ulu, Dayak, Chinese and Indian to make his voice heard, to let his vote count."
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