Opposition parties killing each other

Opposition parties killing each other

Nanyang Siang Pau, Editorial, April 27, 2016

Nomination for the Sarawak state election was held on Monday. Negotiations on seat distribution between DAP and PKR broke up resulting in them contesting against each other in six constituencies. It has now been a hot topic.

DAP and PKR leaders earlier criticized each other on seat distribution but both parties said that five constituencies were still under consultation. However, on nomination day, the face-off showed up they were killing each other in six constituencies.

The central leadership of both two parties had been holding discussions on seat distributions. However, PKR state leadership was unhappy that they were given some more challenging bumiputra-dominated constituencies while other bumiputra constituencies which it has a better chance of winning had been given to DAP. And thus it wanted to renegotiate with DAP.

On nomination day, PKR was accused of fielding candidates in five bumiputra-dominated constituencies originally assigned to DAP. DAP also fielded a Malay candidate in Batu Kitang originally given to PKR. This means the two parties would be fighting each other in Batu Kitang, Mambong, Simanggang, Murum, Ngemah, and Mulu. In the last state election, PKR contested in 49 constituencies and won only three while DAP contested 15 but won 12.

The split between opposition parties continues even after nomination with each blaming the other. This is not quite surprising. In the 308 and 505 general elections, the opposition parties formed a united force to fight against Barisan. They rallied under the slogan of overthrowing the Barisan government and take over Putrajaya. While they failed in the two elections, DAP has meanwhile risen to become the strongest force in the opposition alliance. The party has sort of become the big boss among the partners.

PAS wants to make our country an Islamic state and wants to enforce hudud law in Kelantan. It was the first to terminate their ambiguous relationship with DAP. PKR has been caught in the middle and tried its best to play along. But this has obviously upset DAP. DAP does not have high regards for Amanah, a splinter group of PAS. The high and mighty style of DAP leaders has been the root cause of the ongoing squabbles.

Barisan has been in the government for the last several decades since independence. And its strong position has not been shaken after so many parliamentary and state elections. However, the political situation has changed, resulted in the political tsunami in the 2008 general election. The landscape of Barisan’s domain almost changed overnight.

The wind of change spread to Sarawak in the 2011 state election. Although it failed to change the state government, the strong aspiration of urban voters for a change is well understood. The anti-establishment sentiments in Sarawak Chinese constituencies were strong and Barisan was soundly defeated in these constituencies. Because of this, opposition parties have been harbouring high hopes to make an attack in the 2016 state election to change the political scene.

However, Adenan has rolled out his friendly policies. His decision to recognize UEC was a shock to opposition parties which depend on Chinese votes to win. They do not know what to do. They have been hitting hard on 1MDB and the prime minister’s political donation issues. They may win some votes in urban constituencies but in the interiors where communication is poor, it is believed that it wouldn’t make much impact.

The common enemy between DAP and PKR is Barisan. It is impossible for them not to realize the unfavourable situation they are in. However, their infighting as a result of failed negotiation has proven the immaturity of the opposition camp and because of this, they would have to taste the “bitter” fruits.