Ucapan Lajim Ukin tinggalkan UMNO

Lajim letak jawatan Majlis Tertinggi UMNO

Lajim quits Umno supreme council, dares sacking

7:20PM Jul 28, 2012

Beaufort MP Lajim Ukin today announced his resignation as Umno supreme council member, his remaining and most senior position in the party.

On Jun 18 Lajim, who is deputy housing and local government minister, relinquished his position as Kerambai Kebatu Umno branch chief and made public that he will not defend his position as Beaufort Umno division chief.

According to The Star online, Lajim (left in photo) will remain in his position as deputy minister and an ordinary party member.

Lajim added that he has no plans to join other parties, but was prepared to work with Pakatan Rakyat in Sabah's interest, the report said.

The move comes a day after Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddincalled on Lajim to quit Umno instead of waiting to be sacked.

Ramadan 1433 H

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast.

During the blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. As a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-sacrifice, Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking.

Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits -- essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. The Arabic word for "fasting" (sawm) literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.

During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast.

Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person's body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of God.

Wong Judat quits SPDP to join SWP, SPDP left with 1 ADUN

Wong Judat quits SPDP

by Samuel Aubrey, reporters@theborneopost.com. Borneo Post July 23, 2012, Monday

Meluan rep set to leave SPDP to stand against Salang in Julau

KANOWIT: After months of speculations, Meluan assemblyman Wong Judat finally announced his decision to quit Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) to join Sarawak Workers Party (SWP).

Wong Judat

Speaking to the media after a SWP ‘Pentas Rakyat’ function in Kanowit town centre Saturday night, he said he would officially quit SPDP on July 31 to pave the way for him to contest in Julau against the incumbent MP Datuk Joseph Salang from BN component party Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) in the coming election.

“On July 30, I will be meeting party president Tan Sri William Mawan and his deputy Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing in Kuala Lumpur to explain my move to them, and I will resign from the party the next day. The outcome of the meeting will have no bearing on my decision. Nothing can change my mind and nobody can stop me,” he said.

Judat’s announcement did not come as a surprise as he had already declared that he would stand against Salang if the incumbent MP was re-nominated to defend his seat in the next election and the only way for him to do so is to quit SPDP, a BN component party.

“I will contest in Julau under SWP if Salang is re-nominated to defend the seat.”

On whether he might regret his decision and that he might lose  all the benefits that come with being a BN assemblyman, he said: “What benefit? To me? I don’t do this for self gain. I am 48 years old now, not a 17 year old kid. I am a matured man, so there’s no such thing as regret. “

On whether he was unhappy with SPDP he said, “I am not against SPDP or any other BN component party. SWP and I support the state and federal leadership fully. We are BN friendly and vice versa, we are only against PRS.”

When told that his decision to leave SPDP would leave Mawan as the sole state assemblyman in the party, he quipped: “Well if he feels lonely there, he can always join me in SWP. But I must say here that Tan Sri (Mawan) and Datuk Seri (Tiong) and the rest of the party members have been very kind to me and since SWP is friendly to SPDP, we are still and will always be friends.”

CROWD PULLER: A section of the crowd who thronged the town centre to watch the Pentas Rakyat.

FOR CHARITY: Larry (second left) handing over SWP’s donation to a caretaker of Chinese temple in Kanowit.

Judat is a three-term Meluan assemblyman. He won the seat as an independent candidate in 2001 and joined SPDP in 2003. He is now a SPDP vice president.

SWP president Larry Sng, who also spoke to the media, said he welcomed Judat’s move, saying that the new party would soon have two elected representatives. The other state assemblyman is George Lagong from Pelagus.

“Whoever who wants to be friendly with us, we welcome him or her.”

He also said that the party would come up with its own manifesto for the parliamentary election and would only field winnable candidates.

“After the candidates won the election, he or she will work very hard for the next five years. We only uphold rakyat politics and not towkay politics,” Sng claimed.

Earlier in his speech at the Pentas Rakyat, Judat said called on the people to support the BN policies saying that the only problem in Julau was that grassroots leaders failed to implement them.

It was estimated that a crowd of close to 2,000 people thronged the town centre to watch the Pentas Rakyat which also featured live entertainment by popular local singers.

Sebiro helicopter crash : Investigation into cause ongoing

Worst fear confirmed .  Last Victim’s Body Found

by Gary Adit, Lee Ya Ying, Sandy Mark Luna. Borneo Post  on July 22, 2012, Sunday

Fishermen recover bodies of two helicopter crash victims, search for third missing passenger still on

KUCHING: The bodies of two of the three missing passengers of a private helicopter, which crashed at the mouth of Sungai Teriso near Sebuyau on Friday, were found yesterday.

State deputy police commissioner Dato Law Hong Soon, who is overseeing the search-and-rescue (SAR) operation, confirmed that the bodies of Siti Khuzaimah Anwar and Peter Ato Mayau were recovered ‘some distance away’ from the crash site.

“Siti’s body was found by fishermen near Maludam along Sungai Teriso around 11.15am. Peter’s body was found by villagers and rescuers not far from Kampung Tebelu about 2.30pm.

“Both bodies have been sent to the Simunjan hospital and will be released to their respective families after a post mortem is conducted,” said Law, who was at the hospital together with the families of the two deceased when contacted.

He added that both bodies were fully clothed when found and without life jackets, as the Eurocopter EC120 they were travelling in did not have any life vests onboard.

The SAR operation to locate the third missing passenger on the EC120, Henry Loh, is still ongoing with rescuers combing the air, sea and beaches.

The trio together with chopper pilot Rico Steger, were heading to Nanga Merit in Kapit from Kuching to inspect a school project when the helicopter belonging to Sebiro Holdings crashed and sunk around 9.20am after encountering technical difficulties and inclement weather.

Peter, 53, a civil engineer, and 27-year-old Siti a quantity surveyor, were employees of Sebiro. Henry, 42, an architect, is said to be the consultant for the project.

Peter is also state PKR vice-chairman who contested in Tarat in the last year’s state election but lost.

He was said to be among the possible Pakatan Rakyat candidates for the Mambong parliamentary seat in the coming general election.

German national Rico, 35, swam for nearly four hours against the strong river current before reaching  the jetty of Kampung Tebelu in Sebuyau around 12.30pm clad only in his boxer shorts.

Local villagers told reporters of their shock at seeing a muddied Caucasian man emerging from the river, adding they initially did not know what had happened and they could not understand what he was saying.

A woman from Kuching, who happened to be in the village at the time, managed to communicate with Rico and, after learning of the chopper crash, quickly sent him to the Sebuyau police station where he lodged a report.

—-

UPDATE

SEBUYAU: The body of last victim of the tragic helicopter crash, Henry Loh, was found around 7.40am today at sea off Triso coast in Sri Aman.

The body was found by crew members of a chartered boat. The identity of the 42-year-old architect has been confirmed by his family.

The search and rescue operation has stopped following the recovery of Loh, one of the three missing passengers.

The body of Loh is on the way to Sarawak General Hospital Kuching.

The bodies of Siti Khuzaimah Anwar, 27, and Peter Ato Mayau, 53, were found yesterday.

The German pilot, Rico Steger, 35, was the only survivor as he swam his way out of the wreckage for several hours in strong currents before reaching Kampung Tebelu, Sebuyau.

They were on the way from Kuching to Nanga Merit, Kapit Division for a school project site inspection.

The late Henry is an architect cum consultant of Sebiro Holdings while the late Ato and Siti Khuzaimah were engineer and quantity surveyor of the company respectively.

Condolences to the families of the deceased.

Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim front runner for Kota Samarahan candidacy

Anak buah kepada YAB Pehin Sri iaitu Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim sekarang adalah 'frontrunner' untuk menjadi calon Barisan Nasional untuk kerusi parlimen Kota Samarahan.  Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim merupakan calon yang 'natural' untuk mengambil kerusi itu kerana kerusi iti disanding oleh sepupunya iaitu YB Dato Sri Sulaiman Taib.

Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim mendapat dorongan kuat dari 'mentor'nya iaitu YB Abdkul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Menteri Muda Belia dan Perumahan Sarawak.  YB Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah berperanan sungguh besar dalam membuang Hashim Yap sebagai Ketua PBB Cawangan Batu Kawah dan meletakkan Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim sebagai Ketua PBB Cawangan Batu Kawah.

Beberap bulan lepas Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim telah menyambut/menerima 'memorandum' dari Cawangan PBB Batu Kawah (yang diketuainya) untuk menjadi calon BN untuk Kota Samarahan.  Walaupun cawangan Batu Kawah tidak terletak didalam kawasan parlimen Kota Samarahan namun ia menunjukkan bahawa Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim boleh mengimport jentera dari Batu Kawah ke Kota Samarahan jika perlu.

Calon tempatan Hamzah Bin Ibrahim juga antara calon 'favourite' untuk menjadi calon kerana mempunyai beberapa penyokong dalam tempat-tempat penting seperti Ketua Pemuda PBB YB Datuk Fadillah Yusuf dan Kanselor Daly.  Ketua Pemuda PBB YB Datuk Fadilah Yusuf telah melantik Hamzah Ibrahim sebagai ketua Pemuda PBB seluruh zon samarahan untuk meluaskan lagi pengaruh politik Hamzah Bin Ibrahim.

Calon wanita pula adalah DO Asajaya iaitu Rubiah Wang.

Dato Sri Abu Bekir Taib juga masih berpeluang jika beliau berminat untuk kerusi yang disandang oleh adiknya ini.

Businessman Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim ready for Kota Samarahan if picked

Posted on July 17, 2012, Tuesday

KUCHING: Businessman Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim will not decline the opportunity to contest in Kota Samarahan should he be given the nod to replace his cousin Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib in the 13th general election.

However, Ahmad, who is also PBB Batu Kawah branch chairman, said that he would give his full support to whoever BN pick for Kota Samarahan.

Sulaiman, who had once served as Deputy Tourism Minister, has indicated quite some time ago that he would not be seeking re-election.

“There is no lobbying for me to contest in Kota Samarahan, but there are people there who have me close to their hearts. The reason is that my late father had served that constituency before when he was in Serian. They know his style, his character, and also take into consideration that I am just like him … someone who is close to the people.

“As the Malay saying goes ‘rezeki jangan ditolak, musuh jangan dicari’, it is not good to decline any good fortunes. If given the chance, I will take it,” he told the press after receiving a courtesy call by the 1Malaysia Movie Night committee members at his office in Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce here yesterday.

Among those who tagged along were SPDP Pending branch chairman Audie Chua, the branch’s Wanita chairperson Winnie Lim, deputy chairperson Wendy Ernest, who is the event’s organising chairperson, SUPP Youth secretary-general Wilfred Yap and Wanita SUPP chief Amy Tnay Li Ping

“BN can count on me for total support. I put the BN and PBB first before my personal interest. If we are not united within BN, it will be difficult,” said Ahmad, whose father, the late Datuk Seri Ibrahim Mahmud, once served as superintendent of police for Serian-Samarahan.

Ahmad is seen as the dark horse in the race to become the BN candidate for Kota Samarahan. Word from the grapevine is that the front runners are Asajaya district officer Rubiah Wang or corporate figure Dato Sri Mahmud Bekir Taib, Sulaiman’s brother.

A political greenhorn, Mahmud Bekir had said before that he had always been on the fringe of politics, having been a member of PBB Kuching since he was 19 years old.

Rubiah’s chances look bright because Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is also PBB chairman, had, in the past, said the party would be increasing its women candidates in the 13th general election from the current three – Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim (Batang Lupar), Nancy Shukri (Batang Sadong) and Datuk Norah Abdul Rahman (Tanjung Manis).

Barang sapa ari PBB – BN nyadi chalun ba Kota Samarahan disukung

by Jacqueline David. Posted on July 17, 2012, Tuesday

KUCHING: Barang sapa ke dipilih nyadi chalun BN ba pengawa bepilih besai menua ti ke-13 (PRU 13) ungkup sitak Kota Samarahan, enda nyadi penanggul, ku Ketuai Ranting Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Batu Kawa, Dato Ahmad Ibrahim.

“Tang enti diberi peluang, nama kebuah enda nerima…Baka sempama jaku Melayu, enti diberi tuah, nadai kebuah kitai nulak rejeki,” ku iya.

Iya madah baka tu lebuh dikerandau pemberita, sepengudah ngelaluka raban Parti Progresif Demokratik (SPDP) pampang Pending betuaika ketuai SPDP pampang nya, Audie Chua enggau sekeda raban pemesai Parti Sa’ati Rayat Sarawak (SUPP) betuaika Sekretari Besai Pemuda Central, Wilfred Yap Yau Sin enggau Ketuai Indu SUPP, Amy Tnay Li Ping, ngangkatka ‘1Malaysia Movie Night’, BNBFF ungkup sitak P195 & P196 ke deka dipandangka kena 29 Ogos tu ila, di opis Dato Ahmad di Jalai Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce ditu, kemari.

“Aku enda minta dipasuk nyadi chalun, tang amat, sekeda orang mayuh sigi bekaul terit enggau kami laban niang apai aku (Dato Sri Ibrahim Mahmud) ke kala nyadi superintendant polis, gawa ba sitak Samarahan enggau Serian.

“Orang ke bekelala enggau niang apai aku, nemu gaya, ulah apai aku, alai sida iya ngenyemaka aku murih apai aku empu, ke endang ditemu bekaul terit enggau orang dia,” ku iya.

Taja pen, Ahmad ukai entara nama chalun ke ngangatka sitak nya, tang nama Ahmad entara orang ari luar sitak nya ke dipelaba ulih nyambung pengawa niang apai iya gawa ke rayat.

“Baka ke kala dipadah aku dulu, barang chalun ke dipilih ke sitak Kota Samarahan tauka barang alai, aku deka nyukung chalun nya….Sukung aku nadai bebelah bagi, PBB-Barisan Nasional (BN) dulu, ari peneka aku empu,” ku iya.

Iya nambah, utai ke berat sekali, iya nya, ngembuan gempung sereta kaul ke terit entara BN ti netapka pemenang BN dalam PRU13 tu ila.

Dalam milih nama chalun ke sitak Kota Samarahan ke dianjung Kepala Menteri ngagai Menteri Besai, bedau lama tu tadi, kena netapka chalun ke deka bediri ba sitak nya, bisi dipadah urung lima nama bisi dipasuk dalam lis nya nyengkaum diperitaka nama Dato Ahmad empu.

Tang nama ke seruran disebut bisi peluang ke besai nyadi chalun sitak Samarahan, iya nya Pegawai Pelilih Menua Asajaya, Rabiah Wang.

Baru Bian bermimpi siang hari - Karim Hamzah

Jangan cakap sahaja, dedah nama

Borneo Post  July 12, 2012, Thursday

Dedah nama jika benar ada wakil rakyat BN sertai pembangkang: Fadillah

KUCHING: Dedahkan nama jika benar ada wakil rakyat BN yang akan menyertai parti-parti pembangkang.

Itu cabaran oleh Ketua Pemuda Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Datuk Fadillah Yusof yang ditujukan kepada Ketua PKR Sarawak Baru Bian yang mendakwa demikian.

Sambil membayangkan itu satu penipuan PKR, Fadillah yang juga Timbalan Menteri Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi ketika dihubungi semalam berkata:“Berulang lagi siri drama 16 September bila mana mereka mengumumkan akan mengambil alih kerajaan persekutuan. Kalau benar dedahkan nama mereka.”

Jika tidak didedahkan nama katanya dakwaan itu bermakna semata-mata strategi PKR untuk meraih keyakinan rakyat agar menyokong serta mengundi parti pembangkang pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 (PRU13) kelak.

Sementara itu, Menteri Muda Pembangunan Belia Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah berkata wakil rakyat BN tidak semurah itu untuk menyertai pakatan pembangkang.

“Kalau Baru Bian dan pakatan pembangkang fikir ada YB BN Sarawak yang nak lompat parti atau bertanding guna tiket PR, beliau hanya mimpi pada siang hari,” katanya.

Pakatan pembangkang umpama kapal yang tidak diketahui siapa juragan yang sebenar, katanya merujuk kepada Ketua Umum PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dan Penasihat DAP Lim Kit Siang.

“Ia belayar separuh karam dan tanpa arah tuju. Semua juragan ada agenda sendiri,” katanya.

Sambil menegaskan bahawa wakil rakyat BN tidak semudah itu hendak dibeli, beliau berkata Baru tidak usah terlalu angkuh.

“Beliau (Baru) sendiri belum tentu menang dalam PRU akan datang,” katanya.

Semalam Baru mendedahkan beberapa wakil rakyat BN menunjukkan minat untuk menyertai parti pembangkang pada PRU kelak.

Sambil enggan mendedahkan nama dan jumlah, beliau mendakwa tindakan wakil rakyat tersebut mencerminkan mereka tidak setuju dengan dasar-dasar BN.

“Saya dengar khabar angin yang kencang (wakil rakyat BN akan menyertai pembangkang) dan mereka ada berjumpa saya. Ini akan berlaku,” katanya.

Ada MP dan ADUN Sarawak nak masuk Pakatan - Baru Bian

Baru claims some BN reps want to join opposition

Borneo Post July 11, 2012, Wednesday

KUCHING: State PKR liaisons chief Baru Bian yesterday claimed that some Barisan Nasional (BN) elected representatives have indicated their interests to join the opposition in the coming general election.

Without giving names, he said the elected representatives were both from Sabah and Sarawak.

“I have heard rumours (of BN elected representatives wanting to join the opposition) and they have approached me personally,” Baru told a press conference at PKR service centre here yesterday.

He added that the BN elected representatives who wanted to join the opposition were in disagreement with some BN policies.

Baru said the people’s support towards the opposition was getting stronger, citing his visit to Kota Kinabalu on Sunday which was very encouraging.

“I say that the response has been extraordinary. Where ever we went, there were not enough chairs for the people to sit,” he said.

Baru also said that PKR would remain focus in contesting 10 seats, including Julau where two local professionals had been going to the ground to canvass for support, in the coming general election.

Meanwhile, Baru said the ‘Kembar 3K’ pledge of peace and security, stability and harmony, and prosperity and progress by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was nothing new.

“What does it mean for the people in the interior of Sarawak?” he asked.

He said there was no prosperity or stability when lands were continually being grabbed by crony companies with BN connections and unsolved cases involving landowners in rural areas being intimidated by gangsters hired by plantations owners.

Kontraktor Barisan Nasional yang JAHAT mesti dihapuskan - Lim Guan Eng DAP

Statistik ekonomi sebenar negara

An Open Letter To Michael Manyin - Alex Wong

F

 Alex stmrock Wong

An Open Letter To The Infrastructure Development And Communications Minister, Y,B. Datuk Seri Michael Manyin.

Fight for us. Fight for Sarawak.

Dear Y.B., I refer to your various comments in the press of late, about the state of Sarawak’s roads and YB’s believe that there is no need for a Pan-Borneo Expressway.

They were disappointing statements, to say the least. We Sarawakians have had to put up with increasingly worsening roads, poor maintenance of existing roads and embarrassing newly-completed road quality. We are regressing in every respect of road bulding and maintenance.

The promise of a decent highway from Sarawak to Sabah has been a promise flaunted since I was in high school. Every year, complaints are made by the increasingly impatient public and every year the dream is deferred by the authorities. Now you, our own Sarawakian YB say we do not need such a high quality highway because it “will be underutilized based on studies” of current road usage. Are you kidding me? With due respect, some of YB’s comments are so ill-thought out it doesn’t warrant repeating here. YB, do not let Federal treat us like a poor cousin and please do not clap your hands when they throw crumbs on our floor. Tell them we will not accept crumbs. For Pete’s sake, without Sarawak BN, there would be no BN-UMNO government. As for State funds, we have plenty. Let’s build more and better roads. I’m sure there are other less worthwhile projects that can be put aside for such a worthy cause as basic primary infrastructure – good roads.

Build it and we will use it. Entrepreneurship and enterprise will ensure the expressway is used. Domestic tourism will increase. Inter-cultural activity will propagate. Social development will take a natural course. And if history eventually shows that it is indeed used less than we expected, so what? It’s still going to be money well-spent on a project of great socio-economic impact that will unlikely ever be labeled a white elephant by anyone, opposition or government.

I don’t care who makes how much on these road contracts. Make 20%, 30%, hell, even 40%. I don’t care. Good for them. Just make sure enough of a profit margin is left for subcontractors so that they can build roads of good quality. Ensure a bad quality road is not approved for handover. Check the materials and specs and ensure we are getting roads that will last and not sink within a month like many of late. Less greed equals better roads.

Fight for us please. Do not shoot down benefits for Sarawak. Fight for Sarawak. Demand for a real Pan-Borneo Expressway and stop calling the current one a highway. I have ridden my motorcycle through so-called Third World countries that have far better interstate roads then we have. We should be ashamed. You should be ashamed. Fight for us. Fight for Sarawak.

Yours Sincerely,
Alex stmrock Wong.

Mistress Secretary General DAP Lim Guan Eng

DAP alat Singapore untuk menjajah Malaysia?

BISIK-BISIK : PAP dan DAP

ADA pihak nampaknya tidak senang apabila minggu lalu, Awang menyentuh tindakan Wisma Putra memanggil Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Singapura, Ong Keng Yong berhubung penglibatan tiga diplomatnya dalam perhimpunan haram Bersih 3.0.

Lebih-lebih lagi apabila tulisan itu mengaitkan parti paling rasis di Malaysia iaitu DAP dan PAP, parti pemerintah kerajaan Singapura.

Untuk apa resah jika itu memang realiti. Sejarah tidak boleh dibohongi. Sememangnya PAP dan DAP berasal dari parti yang sama dan pernah berkongsi sejarah ketika Singapura masih berada dalam Malaysia.

Walaupun kedua-dua parti ‘berpisah’, hubungan dan kerjasama, sama ada secara langsung mahupun tidak langsung tetap kukuh sehingga hari ini.

Malah ia makin mekar pada pasca Pilihan Raya Umum 2008 apabila pencapaian DAP melonjak termasuk berjaya menawan Pulau Pinang.

Awang masih ingat bagaimana pelbagai pihak di Singapura memberikan reaksi yang sangat positif atas kejayaan DAP ketika itu.

Ini diikuti lawatan Menteri Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew yang juga pengasas Singapura ke Malaysia pada 2009, yang fokusnya tidak lain ialah untuk mengunjungi Pulau Pinang di bawah teraju DAP.

‘‘Pulau Pinang adalah satu-satunya negeri di Semenanjung Malaysia yang majoriti penduduknya bukan Melayu. Sejak pilihan raya umum lalu (2008) negeri itu telah diperintah oleh pakatan pembangkang, dengan DAP berasaskan kaum Cina menerajui (pemerintahan).’’

Ungkapan itu dipetik daripada perenggan kedualaporan utama akhbar Straits Times Singapura berhubung lawatan Kuan Yew ke negeri tersebut. Petikan itu sudah cukup menjelaskan betapa lawatan beliau begitu signifikan dan mempunyai maksud tersirat.

Awang pernah menulis tentang lawatan tersebut tidak lama dahulu, yang menyaksikan Kuan Yew menyatakan komitmen untuk membantu Pulau Pinang terutama dalam pelaburan. Tidak silap Awang, semasa di Pulau Pinang, Kuan Yew turut mengadakan mesyuarat bersama exco kerajaan negeri, menandakan sokongan moral yang istimewa. Ada juga komen kurang enak daripada beliau dan delegasinya. Antaranya pembangunan prasarana Pulau Pinang di pulau itu kononnya tidak sebaik Ipoh dan Seremban. Seorang menteri Singapura yang mengiringi Kuan Yew mendakwa negeri tersebut ketika dipimpin Gerakan kurang mendapat perhatian Kerajaan Pusat. Amboi...

Selepas lawatan tokoh PAP itu, hubungan antara kerajaan negeri dan Singapura makin intim dengan lawatan-lawatan dan pertemuan tertentu yang diatur di antara kedua-dua pihak. Awang tidak mahu membuat banyak tafsiran tetapi melihat perhatian luar biasa kerajaan Singapura kepada Pulau Pinang, ia mengundang persoalan besar.

Berbalik kepada sejarah, DAP ditubuhkan bagi menggantikan PAP pimpinan Kuan Yew ketika itu, yang disingkir keluar dari Malaysia pada tahun 1965 kerana mahu menguasai politik tanah air dan menentang hak-hak orang Melayu. Konsep Malaysian Malaysia ciptaan Kuan Yew kini terus dihidupkan oleh DAP.

Hari ini, sebahagian pemimpin DAP masih menjadikan Kuan Yew sebagai mentor. Sentimental dengan pemimpin PAP itu tidak pernah pudar apatah lagi padam. Penasihat DAP, Lim Kit Siang adalah antara orang kepercayaan Kuan Yew ketika dalam PAP. Beliau juga adalah bekas Setiausaha Akhbar Kuan Yew sewaktu zaman mudanya. Anak Kuan Yew, Lee Hsien Loong kini merupakan Perdana Menteri republik itu. Anak Kit Siang pula, Lim Guan Eng adalah Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang selain Setiausaha Agung DAP. Suara mahukan Guan Eng menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia makin kerap kedengaran. Sampaikan Pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh tersasul merujuk Guan Eng sebagai Perdana Menteri pada satu majlis baru-baru ini.

Selepas kejayaan DAP pada 2008, Awang percaya PAP mahu melihat impak lebih besar pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) yang dijangka diadakan tahun ini.

Keghairahan Singapura untuk membantu gerakan pembangkang di Malaysia atas faktor DAP, bagaikan tidak dapat dibendung lagi. Ia terserlah dalam aktiviti terbuka seperti pembabitan dalam perhimpunan haram mahupun aktiviti tertutup, yang banyak tidak didedahkan lagi. Semua ini boleh dibaca sebagai isyarat untuk melihat kerajaan Malaysia sekarang tumbang lalu digantikan kerajaan baru dengan DAP akan dominan.

DAP juga sudah tentu secara senyap mengharapkan apa sahaja bentuk sokongan strategik daripada PAP, walaupun mendakwa tiada hubungan langsung di antara kedua-dua parti.

Pulau Pinang sudah ditawan maka ada misi lain, yang lebih besar mahu disempurnakan pada PRU13. PAP sudah menunggu lebih 48 tahun untuk mencapai impian di tanah air ini, yang DAP sangat komited untuk menjayakannya. Bukankah begitu?

-AWANG SELAMA