Take for example PKR member Saifuddin Shafi, who recently made headlines with a Facebook posting berating Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem.

Saifuddin had taken to social media to vent his anger over the barring of PKR Deputy Youth Chief Afif Bahardin from Sarawak.

“Adenan Satem, keep your state in your pocket,” he wrote. “When you die, you will leave behind the image of a stupid old man, full of fear in facing the truth and democracy. Shame on you, bloody old man.”

The post quickly went viral on WhatsApp, with some some netizens condemning Saifuddin’s rudeness. Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, an assistant minister in Sarawak, said this was the reason why undesirable persons were barred from the state. “It’s not because we fear them, but because we do not want hooligans and rascals to pollute our harmonious, peace-loving society,” he said in a media statement.

With the Sarawak election just around the corner, opposition parties based on the peninsula should make some effort to understand East Malaysian cultural values.

Sarawakians disapprove of the politics of hate and disrespect. Politicians there do not threaten one another, they do not utter words of hate or disrespect, they don’t use obscene gestures, and they don’t produce YouTube videos to poke fun at their enemies.

Saifuddin’s brashness has certainly not endeared him to Sarawakians, who already view peninsula-based parties with suspicion. It has instead reflected badly on his upbringing and his party.

PKR would be wise to rein in its members from making remarks that make the party look like it is filled with arrogant and rude people. The same goes for other peninsula-based parties. Better yet, their leaders and members should try to understand the cultural values and the type of politics practised in Sarawak if they wish to make inroads into the BN stronghold. Of course, this may be difficult if they visit the state only when an election is due.