As Sarawak stirs in anticipation of the coming state election, it is clear that the air is filled with a certain freshness. Through too many elections, Taib Mahmud was the inevitable victor, and with each victory became more firmly established even as Sarawakians continued to bemoan the illegal felling of their rainforests, the bulldozing of native rights, and the lack of significant development in the state despite its potential.
That all changed when the man who ruled the state with an iron fist for more than 30 years finally stepped down to make way for Adenan Satem. Adenan has swept the state along with heady visions of finally making it the crown jewel of the country. And it appears that he is getting what he wants from Putrajaya, simply because Barisan Nasional cannot afford to lose him and, with him, its control of the state, one of the so-called fixed deposits that would ensure its continued tenure in Putrajaya.
Adenan has so far made all the right noises as far as Sarawakians are concerned, promising the return of autonomous power to the state and its rightful cut of oil revenue, among other things. But now, as he prepares his election machinery, there are several factors he must consider as he moves forward, first and foremost the selection of winning candidates for the BN components in the state.
Sarawak’s current power structure sees the DAP in control of most of the Chinese vote, while the PBB has the Malay vote quite firmly in hand. However, for the native peoples, the performance of their representatives in general has been less than satisfactory. Adenan cannot afford to field these old faces if he intends to realise his vision of the new Sarawak. They have proven to be ineffective and are not trusted by their constituents. The Chief Minister must introduce new blood where it is needed. And he must select the new blood with great care because the line-up presented by BN in this election will determine whether or not Sarawakians feel they can truly trust him with their fate.
Sticking with the status quo will tell the Sarawakians that despite his words, Adenan has no political will to truly follow through with his new deal for the state. For now, though, there appears to be no reason to think that he will not proceed with his programme. He has made good on his promise to choke off illegal logging in Sarawak, and has been successful in getting Putrajaya to significantly invest in Sarawak with Budget 2016.
Adenan must know that the state election will be won or lost by the decision of the native peoples of Sarawak. Those who make up this true silent majority have been watching Adenan with interest, but have been somewhat wary about showing their enthusiasm because of the incompetence of their leaders.
It’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff, and Adenan must show that the interests of the natives are foremost in his bold agenda for a 21st Century Sarawak. Failure to do so may see the ground lost, even if the battle is won.