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Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Monday) : Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who was yesterday  sworn in for his sixth term as Sarawak Chief Minister to continue his 25 years as head of government, and Tan Sri Dr. George Chan, the SUPP President, should snap out of their denial complex to boldly and democratically address the many legitimate concerns of the electorate crying out for resolution and which were the root causes for the powerful anti-Barisan Nasional swing in the Sarawak polls on Saturday.

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.

”However, when the Bukit Assek result was flashed on television at 9 pm, which showed the defeat of the BN to the DAP, Taib said: "Betting. A lot of betting. Sibu has always been the betting place," as he glanced at the media representatives gathered there to cover the event.”

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)