Why Mahathir Hasn’t Campaigned In Sabah & Sarawak

The Story Nobody Tells You – Why Mahathir Hasn’t Campaigned In Sabah & Sarawak?

Sabah and Sarawak, the two East Malaysian states known as Barisan Nasional’s fixed deposit, are the kingmakers. There are 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak and 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah. Altogether, there are 56 parliamentary seats up for grab from these two states alone. That translates to 25% or a quarter of the total 222 parliamentary seats.

Both Sabah and Sarawak will ensure the survival of caretaker Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) in this 14th General Election. But if both states are so critical, why isn’t opposition master strategist Mahathir Mohamad paying any visit to either of the states? To ignore both seats is tantamount to give away 25% seats to Najib before the battle even started.

Is the 93-year-old former premier who had ruled the country for 22 years (1981 to 2003) really senile? Mahathir’s missing in action in Sabah was mocked by his rival Najib, saying – “In this campaign, he (Mahathir) wants to become prime minister again but strangely, if he wants to become prime minister again, how come he did not spend even a day campaigning here in Sabah?”

Mr. Najib mocked and laughed at Mr. Mahathir in Penampang, Sabah. Interestingly, this is Najib’s second visit to Sabah within a short campaign period of only 11 days. His first visit to the state (Sandakan and Tawau) was on April 30. Najib’s frequent visit to Sabah shows that he fears losing the state, otherwise why did he waste precious time flying over South China Sea for the state?

But how could Najib risk losing Sabah when Mahathir doesn’t even care about visiting the states? Going by the logic, Mahathir is driving the coalition Pakatan Harapan to its greatest defeat. Analysts said Mahathir did not visit Sabah and Sarawak because he was not popular among the people in the states. To add insult to injury, Mahathir reportedly called the Sabahans and Sarawakians lazy.

So, why must Mahathir be so dumb insulting the fixed deposit and not ball-sucking them, the same way Najib gladly did? After ruling the country for 22 years, Mahathir knew it will be a waste of timeto campaign in both states. There’s a reason why Sabah and Sarawak are known as fixed deposit of Barisan Nasional. The opposition from Peninsula Malaysia can never penetrate the states.

But Mahathir doesn’t need to do anything in Sabah. Sabah Heritage Party, or simply “Warisan”, has struck a deal with Pakatan Harapan. Warisan president Mohd Shafie Apdal has an axe to grind. Mr. Shafie was one of the three vice-presidents of UMNO, the leading party in the Barisan Nasional coalition, before he was sacked by Mr. Najib.

And Mr. Shafie is leading the opposition coalition in Sabah. Mahathir knew that only a native Sabahlike Shafie could give Najib a run for his money, therefore, the last thing to do is to join in the already crowded competition in Sabah. When Pakatan Harapan forms the federal government, their partner Warisan will be allocated minister posts in the federal cabinet.

Similarly, when Warisan forms its state government, there will be representatives from Pakatan Harapan. But Mahathir doesn’t have high expectation from Sabah. BN currently holds 21 of the 25 parliamentary seats. Warisan is contesting 16 parliamentary seats and 45 state seats. And if the calls for change are any indicator, the opposition could be looking at a surprise windfall.

Najib has been trumpeting about peace, harmony, stability and prosperity every time he visits Sabah. Still, his promises of better lives and future prosperity fail to please sceptical Sabahans. The people of Sabah, like those in Peninsula Malaysia, are suffering the same problem – financial burdens due to GST introduced by Mr. Najib himself.

Ramli, a Sabahan, said – “The GST goes to the government. The people in Sabah get nothing.Barisan Nasional was good before. But as time goes by, it has changed. The poor have become poorer and the rich have become richer. Najib has made promises before but he did nothing. So I want change.”

Warisan is particularly strong in the East Coast’s Muslim-native areas, where Najib’s Barisan Nasional enjoyed 70-80% of the support. That explains why Najib has flown twice to Sabah while Mahathir hadn’t. Shafie could probably steal some of the parliamentary seats from BN and contribute them to the Pakatan Rakyat.

But how about Sarawak? Mahathir doesn’t seem to bother about 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak. Well, naughty rumours have it that certain “powerful” party in Sarawak has made a pact to “jump ship” when Pakatan Harapan manages to score “certain number” of parliamentary seats in Peninsula Malaysia. If true, that explains why Mahathir is so calm and cool about winning.

It’s worth noting that out of 25 parliamentary seats won by Sarawak BN in the 2013 general election, PBB (Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu) possessed 14 of them. Although Abdul Taib Mahmud, popularly known as “Pek Moh (白毛 or white-haired uncle)”, has retired and was given the “Yang di-Pertua Negeri” – a post equivalent to Sultan – he is still very influential.

It was Taib Mahmud’s friendship with Mahathir that had allowed him to freely rule Sarawak as Chief Minister from 1981 to 2014. As the former president of PBB, it is believed that he still call the shots behind the curtain. With the emergence of veterans such as Daim Zainuddin, Rafidah Aziz and Rais Yatim throwing support behind Mahathir, it’s not hard to see why Taib Mahmud could do the same.

Rafidah Aziz was Minister of International Trade and Industry from 1987 to 2008 while Daim Zainuddin was former Finance Minister of Malaysia from 1984 to 1991. Rais Yatim, meanwhile, was Chief Minister of Negeri Sembilan from 1978–1982 and was a minister in multiple federal governments from 1974 to 2013.

All of them – Rafidah, Daim, Rais, Taib – have one thing in common. They owed Mahathir big time. And this is perhaps the best time to payback Mahathir, when he is seeking to unseat the super-corrupt Najib Razak. After seeing how Mahathir, once ruled with iron-fist, is being worshipped like a hero now, it doesn’t need much convincing for 82-year-old Taib Mahmud to do the same.

However, in order for PBB Sarawak to switch side, Pakatan Harapan has to win enough parliamentary seats for form the federal government. Conservatively, Pakatan aims for 100 seats in Peninsula Malaysia. Assuming PBB could maintain its 14 seats, while DAP and Warisan maintain or snatch some extra seats, it would be sufficient to form the federal government.

That explains why Mahathir is campaigning only in Peninsula Malaysia. He doesn’t need to worry about Sabah or Sarawak. His old buddy is his fixed deposit. And Najib’s mistake of sacking Shafie is coming back to haunt him. Even if Najib knows of Mahathir’s plan today, he can’t do anything. The “Pek Moh” is untouchable. The white-haired emperor has a closer relationship with Mahathir.

Show More Reactions

TAIB'S RAPE OF SARAWAK.

Sarawak Report Bustari The Bag Man? How Najib Bought The Sarawak Election.

Bustari The Bag Man? How Najib Bought The Sarawak Election FURTHER EXCLUSIVE 30 May 2017 Golfing pals – Bustari right Documents show that the Sarawak businessman cum politician Bustari Yusuf personally received just short of a staggering RM60 million from Najib Razak in the weeks and days running up to the 2013 General Election. The payments all came from Najib’s personal AmBank account number 2112022009694, which had received over a billion dollars since 2011, stolen from the 1MDB development fund. The vast majority of the money was signed over to Bustari in the final fortnight of the campaign, indicating that the most likely purpose was to buy votes. Bustari Yusuf has long been cited by observers, including Sarawak Report, as being one of the Prime Minister’s most trusted key operators in the State of Sarawak, whose seats have become increasingly crucial to BN’s survival in office. Indeed, together with Sabah the East Malaysian state has been widely dubbed BN’s “Safe Deposit’, an analogy that represents the widespread notion that the voter base relies heavily on what is politely termed ‘money politics’, otherwise vote buying. Rarely far from Najib’s side The Yusuf family have entrenched themselves in the politics and economy of Sarawak, obtaining extensive timber concessions in the 80s thanks to Bustari’s role as a Taib crony and former PBB Treasurer. However, he soon raised his eyes to higher opportunities when Najib took office. This site has already reported on how this unofficial contact of the Prime Minister is rarely far from Najib’s side, especially when matters become sensitive or difficult. He is also the PM’s regular golfing partner and a former colleague and close male friend of Rosmah Mansor. When the original 1MDB joint partnership deal with PetroSaudi was hatched back in 2009 on the yacht Tattoosh, Bustari was in situ as one of a handful of guests on board apart from Najib’s family, Jho Low and the PetroSaudi shareholders (the other was Robin Tan, son of the tycoon Vincent Tan). Again, after the scandal exploded in 2015, when Najib made repeat journeys to Singapore to shore up his position and to try to release the 1MDB accounts, it was Bustari who came with him and played golf between meetings. Bustari cultivated close relations with Taib’s successor Adenan also Bustari has been rewarded with pivotal opportunities at the heart of a number of Najib’s grand economic projects, most controversially as the barely concealed ‘turnkey’ operator behind the multi-billion dollar Borneo Highway project. Sarawak Report exposed his hidden lucrative role. So, no surprise that it was none other than Bustari’s politician brother Fadillah, whom Najib had appointed as Minister of Public Works soon after the 2013 General Election when BN scraped back into power, largely thanks to holding Sarawak. The ministry governs all public construction contracts. Later, during the Sarawak state elections of 2016 Bustari was again ubiquitous at Najib’s side, helicoptering with him around the state and lurking in the background of functions. He managed to be as close to the new Chief Minister Adenan as he had been to Taib, after all he was regarded Najib’s proxy. Bustari was regularly in the background on the Sarawak campaign trail – see arrow Sarawak Report also reported that it was indeed Bustari Yusof who was regarded as Najib’s ‘money man’, handling the traditional methods used in purchasing that election, as Najib traversed the state making promises and signing cheques. Sure enough, the usual crackly notes were reported as having indeed surfaced on time to hand out to voters on polling day, in transactions favouring BN. Money for 2013 Therefore, few in Sarawak will be surprised to learn that Bustari Yusuf was the single individual, who received by far the most money from Najib’s slush account during the GE13 campaign, according to evidence obtained by official investigators. On April 18th 2013 he received RM26 million, according to figures obtained from the Task Force investigations, then on April 29th he received a further RM30 million. Bustari also received RM1 million from Najib on 13th June 2012 and RM2 million on 6th February 2013…. achieving a total of RM59 million, which Sarawak Report assumes was channelled towards Najib Razak’s ‘strategy’ for buying the Sarawak election. If Mr Bustari had a separate more meritorious purpose for obtaining RM56 million from the Prime Minister in the final fortnight of the election, apart from providing the cash handouts, which were reported around the polling stations of Sarawak, he is invited to contact us with the details.

DREAMING OF PARADISE IN A RACE RELIGION FASCIST DICTATORSHIP

Conan Drums shared a link to the group: 916 Occupation Day.

Fellow Sarawakians, it is not just about "pig bristles".

2,003 pig bristle paintbrushes seized in operations nationwide

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 7 — The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry seized 2,003 paintbrushes made from pig bristles worth RM10,988.94 in a crackdown nationwide, said its minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin. He said the goods were

www.themalaymailonline.com

13 hours ago · 200 shares

Enforcement officers seize 150 pig bristle paint brushes in Johor

Ministry of Domestic Trade Co-operatives and Consumerism of Johor today seized 150 pig bristles in an operation involving two construction hardware premises in Larkin here today.

english.astroawani.com

16 hours ago · 4 shares

Enforcement officers seize pig bristle paint brushes - Nation | The Star Online

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor office of the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry seized eight paint brushes of various type believed to be made from pig bristles from three hardware stores here.

www.thestar.com.my

23 hours ago · 877 shares

It is about the way the people in power rule the country and the strangulation of our freedom and the values associated with a free democratic society the Malayan colonial masters lied about upholding in "forming Malaysia".

Tunku Adbul Rahman in selling his "Malaysia Plan" talked about building a nation "where we can live together in peace with one another where there will be freedom, equality, peace justice and freedom and prosperity for all".

Lord Lansdowne Chairman of IGC assured our parents "Malaysia" would be a great buttress of freedom in Asia where the people would be privileged to conduct their affairs in the greatest possible freedom.

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/…/…/straitstimes19621117-1.2.30

Now why then has the freedom we enjoyed before "Malaysia" 1963 been progressively curtailed in minute aspects according to UMNO race religion agenda acquiesced to by PBB?

If all of you here, of the privileged intelligentsia & elites have weathered all these 50 years (as colonial subjects of Malaya) without noticing that the Cardinal Point 1 of the 18/20 Point Agreement has been violated again and again, then nothing can help Sarawak.

In Germany fascism took control with Hitler's Nazi party's race superiority agenda.

In "Malaysia" UMNO has made its race plus religion supremacist ideology the agenda to create "Melayu Raya". The 18/20 Points Agreement spelt out that the federation will be called "Malaysia" NOT UMNO's desired "Melayu Raya".

This is the agenda of UMNO and its local supporters but not all the Muslims in this country Sarawak.

For over 100 years under Brooke rule plus 17 years of British rule we were free from this form of race religion fascism.

In the last 54 years we have seen how UMNO using local proxies have tightened their grip and control over all our lives including those who believe UMNO is their saviour.

Daily this fascism is spreading to affect different aspects of our lives. There is no respect for each other as the Tunku and also Tun Razak claimed but an increasing domination of all others by the chosen race?

As citizen we have decide how long are we going to cope with the chipping away of our rights before we stand up and enough is enough and vote out the tyrants & fascists?

The only way we can save ourselves and future generation from UMNO imposed race religion supremacist apartheid is to unite and vote them out.

May be just talking to the wall.

Rafizi Ramli : Saya Minta Maaf

Saya mengambil sedikit masa agar keadaan lebih tenang. Saya rasa pertembungan sesama sahabat di dalam PRN2016 ini akan terus berlaku kerana sukar untuk merungkai kemarahan dan emosi masing-masing setelah terlanjur begini. Saya yakin ada hikmah di sebalik peristiwa-peristiwa ini dan berdoa kita semua belajar darinya.

Saya ditanyakan pelbagai soalan. Saya telah berikan penjelasan lengkap kepada Ketua-ketua Cabang KEADILAN di dalam kumpulan Whatsapp dan cukuplah ia kekal di situ. 

Tanggungjawab ini perlu dipikul bersama. Saya sendiri perlu menilai kembali pendekatan saya dalam menangani perbezaan di dalam saf kepimpinan. Menguruskan perbezaan pendapat di dalam sesebuah organisasi itu perkara biasa, namun ia tidak boleh sekali-kali bertentangan dengan prinsip kebenaran, keadilan dan patuh kepada janji.

Dalam kekusutan cuba membezakan apa yang disebut kepentingan dan strategi parti yang perlu diimbangkan dengan kepentingan rakyat, saya mengingatkan diri saya supaya tidak lupa kepada 2 potong ayat dari Surah Al-Maaida (yang sepatutnya menjadi asas utama jatidiri KEADILAN):

Ayat 1 Surah Al-Maaida:
"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, penuhi serta sempurnakanlah perjanjian-perjanjian"
Ayat 8 Surah Al-Maaida:
"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, hendaklah kamu semua sentiasa menjadi orang-orang yang menegakkan keadilan kerana Allah, lagi menerangkan kebenaran; dan jangan sekali-kali kebencian kamu terhadap sesuatu kaum itu mendorong kamu kepada tidak melakukan keadilan. Hendaklah kamu berlaku adil (kepada sesiapa jua) kerana sikap adil itu lebih hampir kepada taqwa. Dan bertaqwalah kepada Allah, sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui dengan mendalam apa yang kamu lakukan"

Mendalami perintah Allah dalam kedua-dua ayat ini dan berpegang kepadanya, In Sha Allah memudahkan kita membuat keputusan.

Saya memohon maaf sekali lagi kerana saya tahu sukarnya ingin membina keyakinan rakyat. Apatah lagi dalam keadaan rakyat sangat bencikan ahli politik kerana pelbagai pembohongan, penyelewengan, penting diri sendiri dan lupa daratan yang selalu dikaitkan dengan ahli politik.

Banyak yang telah dipelajari dan menjadi teladan agar perkara yang sama tidak berulang di masa akan datang. Banyak perubahan yang perlu dibuat supaya persaudaraan di dalam Pakatan Harapan dapat meyakinkan rakyat sekali lagi.

Pada masa ini, marilah kita beri sepenuh tumpuan membantu sahabat-sahabat kita yang sedang berjuang melawan Barisan Nasional di Sarawak. In Sha Allah saya akan sediakan juga beberapa eCeramah untuk disiarkan di seluruh Sarawak.

Mohon sebarkan permohonan maaf saya ini.

Rafizi Ramli

steadyaku47 comment

Quickies : Cheers to Sarawak!

Islam no more official religion on Sarawak government website

 

By BY SULOK TAWIE | The Malay Mail Online – 9 hours ago

• 
  

•  
•  A screen capture of the official website showing before the removal of the claim …

KUCHING, Dec 11 ― The Barisan Nasional (BN) Sarawak government appears to have removed a statement asserting Islam as the Borneo state’s official religion from its website, days after it was raised in the recent sitting of the state legislative assembly here.

A check of the website by Malay Mail Online today showed the statement “The official religion in Sarawak is Islam” is now missing without any explanation on the governmental website.

steadyaku47 comment : 

I would like to comment on the above news item with a caveat : It is my belief that it is nobody's business but that of the State Government of Sarawak what religion it chooses as its official religion.

Now on to my comment : What will the Bugis Warrior (NOT!) and president of Umno now chose to do with Sarawak? Umno has promised to uphold the interest of Muslims and Islam in Malaysia. And Sarawak is part of Malaysia is it not? And if Sarawak has chosen to remove Islam as the official religion of Sarawak then have not Umno and its president failed in their determination to uphold and promote Islam with every breath in their self? 

So how now? 

Umno has failed......so should it's president "hembus nafas yang terakhir" to make good his promise to defend Umno to his last breath? Siapa setuju?   

And one last thing....cheers for Sarawak!  

 

Back to the Future. Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya?

To win the 13th general election you must have the Malays on your side, big time.  UMNO thinks they have that and for the time being they might just be right. For Pakatan Rakyat it is still a work in progress but the prognosis is grim.

And you must have Sabah and Sarawak on side too. They saved Barisan Nasional from defeat in the 12th general election and they are not going to let Barisan Nasional forget that! No Sir they will not! Taib Mahmud has already had more then his pound of flesh and still wants more!

It looks like what Sabah and Sarawak wants, Sabah and Sarawak will get before or after this 13th general election! They have already got hold of Najib by his balls. When they already got Najib by his balls, Najib's heart and mind will follow and Najib will do as they ask! And what are they asking? 

Methinks Sabah and Sarawak wants to be free of the hegemony and stifling arrogance of a Semenanjong based  Barisan Nasional government. They want autonomy. The autonomy that was promised in the 1963 Malaysia Agreement. And why not? They know that the future of Sabah and Sarawak does not only depend on Malaysia!

Were not Sabah and Sarawak once two Nations that agreed with Singapore and Malaya to form Malaysia? From being a sovereign nation they are now relegated to be one of the many states under an UMNO led Barisan Nasional Federal government that rules from Putrajaya.

Sabah and Sarawak, like Singapore, wanted a partnership with Malaya. What sort of a partnership do they now have? The sort of partnership that Kelantan, Penang, Kedah and Selangor have with this UMNO led Barisan Nasional government.

A master servant relationship with UMNO being the self appointed master! 

Just as Kelantan has been deprived of their Oil Royalty rights so has the East Malaysian been deprived of their fair share to their oil, gas and natural resources.

Decisions on federal funding for infrastructure and development, policies implementation and even matters in sports are made in Putrajaya without regard for the real needs of the East Malaysians. 

The East Malaysians have looked with increasing concern at the use of race and religion by UMNO to divide and rule the people in Semenanjung. Sabah itself have seen a massive influx of pendatangs which they, in no small measure, attribute to the robust work done by Anwar Ibrahim while he was with UMNO.

Race and religion has never been a divisive issue in East Malaysia. Multi racialism and multi religion is alive and thriving in East Malaysia. All this is now at risk as the politics of hate and extremism that UMNO uses to divide and rule in Semenanjung increasingly encroaches into Sabah and Sarawak.

Like the people in Semenanjung the East Malaysians are now saying enough! The results of the 12th general have given them the moral authority to demand for their right to decide on their own political future. The changing political landscape there now reflects this new reality.

All you guys on the ground can come up with your analysis of the political situation in East Malaysia but the truth will always remain the truth. Like the people in Semenanjung the people in East Malaysia know when they are being lied to, when they are bring taken for a ride and when to demand change. This 13th general election is show time! No more bullshit. You lie. You die...politically that is - though in China they do shoot corrupt government officials. Maybe we should consider that options!

There are 165 seats in West Malaysia.

East Malaysia has 56

• 31 seats in Sarawak.
• 25 in Sabah.

Common sense tells us that going by the result of the last general election, the margin for victory for BN or PR in this 13th general election will be thin and a hung parliament is a distinct possibility. Whatever happens, East Malaysia will decide who will form government. And they know this!

Timber concessions, government contracts and all other things that UMNO can promise are but just inducements for ordinary mortals to consider.  At most the number of ordinary mortals to whom these inducements can be offered to are but a handful - less then 1% of the population of Sabah and Sarawak. The other 99% survive without ever being offered any such inducements.

Is UMNO arrogant enough to think that whatever they offer to this 1% will be enough to win East Malaysian over?  Or does UMNO think that in ëtaking careí of Taib Mahmud, Musa Aman and their band of merry men they have done enough to ensure victory?

All you people in East Malaysia please do not let UMNO do to you what UMNO have done to the Malays here in semenanjung. Your leaders are already in bed with UMNO in as far as money politics is concern. Thank God that there are enough of you with the courage to do what you must to expose your leaders for what they are ñ thieves and robbers that plunder and pillage their own peopleís and their own countryís natural resources to amass insane and immense wealth with the complicity of UMNO. We too in West Malaysia are doing that but what we do will never be enough until we get this UMNO led Barisan Nasional government out of power!  
 
The stench of fear and defeat permeates Najib and his people in Putrajaya. Najib works hard to save himself from being thrown out of office but against 55 years of abuse, he has much to do.  All that he needs ñ money, resources and the political will to succeed, he has. And the thought of spending time in Sungai Buloh for a multitude of sins he and his cohorts have committed during their time in office does invoke a sense of desperation and kicks their survival instincts into over drive.

What deals they will do with Taib Mahmud and Musa Aman and the others politicians in East Malaysia is for them to know and for us to find out. It is only we the people that now stand between wholesale corrupt horse-trading between those who are now in power and those who want to stay in power and between those who can deliver power with those who want to stay and gain power. In short anything goes!

For our friends in East Malaysia I say this. If you want greater autonomy from Putrajaya, ask for it through the ballot box. If you want to go Singapore way I say why not?
We in Malaya are already in a state of flux. Where we go will depend on how our people vote at the 13th general elections. If I could I would want all exit points of departure out of Malaysia closed on the eve of the general elections so that there will not be an exodus of politicians leaving the country to save themselves from prosecution should Barisan Nasional lose. And these exit points should remain close until a new government is installed and the BN thieves and robbers are rounded up and taken into custody for their day in court. 

That is if Barisan Nasional loses  -  and it is a very big if! As I have said in an earlier posting, if there is anything that can be said of the 13th general election it is its unpredictability. Win or lose, East or West Malaysian, Malays or non-Malays, Muslims or Infidels, rich or poor, BN or PR, me or you - everything will change after this 13th general election. And this alone is enough to give us hope that change has already come our way.

Penan block logging road in Baram, Sarawak

By Bruno-Manser-Funds

We have just received the news that the Penan communities of Ba Abang and Long Kawi in Sarawak's Middle Baram region have started blockading a logging road to prevent the further felling of their rainforests.

According to community information received by the Bruno Manser Fund, the blockade has been erected last Thursday, 13th October 2011, and has been attended by more than 70 Penan tribespeople. The blockade is located near the Ba Bunau river within the claimed Native Customary Rights land of the Ba Abang community. It is mainly directed against Interhill, a Malaysian logging company based in Miri, Sarawak. Interhill is also known to be the owner of the Pullman 5-star hotel in Sarawak's capital, Kuching. The Pullman Kuching hotel is being operated by the French Accor group. 

The Penan accuse Interhill of particularly aggressive and environmentally destructive logging during the past months. Several attempts by the communities to nego! tiate with Interhill responsibles have failed. Interhill had already been accused of similar conduct in 2009. An independent study commisioned by the French Accor group showed at the time that Interhill had been involved in illegal and unsustainable logging practices. Following pressure from Accor's sustainability department, Interhill promised to better its conduct but has obviously failed to live up to its promises.

The Bruno Manser Fund has learned that Interhill called the police and forestry department officials to dissolve the blockade but the Penan are currently upholding their protest. In December 2009, six Penan communities of the Middle Baram region jointly filed court cases to claim land titles over their customary land and asked for the logging licences to be declared null and void. The cases are currently pending at the Miri High Court.

The Bruno Manser Fund is calling on the Interhill management to instruct their staff to! immediately stop the destructive logging of the Penan forests and to send a high-ranking delegation to the blockade site to apologize for the company's conduct. We are particiulary disappointed to learn that Interhill failed to live up to the promises made to the French Accor group and to the international community two years ago.

Your BMF campaign team

For more information, please consult:

www.stop-interhill.com

Dear Fellow Sarawakians in the Civil Service,

Dear Fellow Sarawakians in the Civil Service,

For far too long we have been intimidated by Taib, his ministers, and his appointed heads of departments.

We have been fearful that our votes can be traced and discovered and we will be transferred to the Penan kampungs in ulu Belaga and ulu Baram, ulu Lawas to Baru Bian’s kampung, ulu Balleh to James Jimut’s longhouse, to ulu Pakan to William Mawan’s longhouse (but please don’t send me to Betong – I can’t stand Jabu’s stench).

But, even if our votes can be traced, if everyone of us votes for change, how can Taib and his Chief Minister’s Office transfer all of us? There won’t be enough office space in all of our rural offices.

Imagine what would happen if just a fraction of us are transferred?

The whole Sarawak Civil Service with all our spouses, children, brothers, sisters, uncles, relatives and friends will rise up and vote out our deeply hated Barisan National ministers and their cronies.

If that happens, the whole country will rise and vote out Barisan National in the next General Election and a new government will be formed. The whole country is now looking forward to our beloved Sarawak and hope we will vote at least one third of our opposition representatives into Council Negeri. 

Then it will send a shock to Najib and his cronies.

Look at the photos which I took last night in Premier 101. Just look at the crowd. It has never happened before.I happened to be there for dinner. People just drifted in and stayed on to listen to the electrifying speeches. I went home to take my camera to record the event, and later found that the whole makan place between Delizze and Choice Premier to the Best Corner was packed.

This was only last night in Kuching and there will be more rallies tonight and on and on until the eve of election. Imagine what will happen if this is also repeated in Sibu, Miri and Sarikei, and Bintulu?

So, dear fellow oppressed colleagues in the Civil Service – do what the Chinese ancestors did by chasing out the deeply hated and feared Mongolians. It was the reason Chinese everywhere celebrate the Moon Cake Festival, which is only one of a few festivals not related to belief or myths. They managed to chase out the all powerful Mongolians when someone thought of this: put a note in a cake asking everybody who received the note to rise together to chase out the Mongolian soldiers on that full moon night. Each one who received the cake was asked to do the same: write a note, bake a cake and send to a close relative. Eventually the whole of China received the note. On that appointed night, everyone went out and chased the Mongolians away. That’s why the Chinese spend enormous sums of money to buy moon cakes and give them to their close relatives.

We don’t need to bake a cake and give it to our relatives with such a note. Today, we can repeat history by email. The Tunisians and Egyptians did that just two months ago.

Do like me: create a new anonymous account under yahoo.com, gmail.com, hotmail.com and so on.

Send this message to all your contacts through a bcc. By bcc, no one will know who you are, and no one knows who else has been sent that email. Then continue to email your feelings and join campaigns and prayer rallies. Take photos and send them around. When you take photos of rallies, use small resolution so that you can send by email easily.

In this way, it will spread to everybody who has an email. He or she will talk about it and soon the whole of Sarawak will rise up in boldness.

As a very senior staff member with access to sarawakgov.net address, I am also sending this message to many of our fellow senior government servants (but I won’t send to our former SS, Taib’s yes man – wilsonbd@sarawaknet.gov.my ).

Nobody knows who sent this and nobody knows who has received it. Keep quiet for a few days and this movement cannot be stopped anymore. Eventually, this email will reach many many people.

Do not be intimidated. Taib will go into the annals of Hosni Mubarrak and Ferdinand Marcos who were packed off by People’s Power.






steadyaku47 comment: The above was posted on the net by someone and I thought it should be given more exposure - hence my posting it on this blog - it reflects my sentiment exactly! MERDEKA!