by Sebanaku Sarawak
SIBU: The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) President Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan Hong Nam was lying to all Bumiputera in the state when he claimed that :-
* the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Dato Sri James Jemut Masing was misunderstood of the true situation concerning the Ibans in Sibu when he said the community was extremely not happy with the way SUPP is treating them; and
* the SUPP Sibu Branch leader Datuk Wong Soon Koh has told him that the party is treating other races as it is treating the Chinese.
And what James Masing has not told SUPP is:-
* the Bumiputera, in general, feel that SUPP is no different from DAP – i.e. only interested to look after their own community and no other communities. And Miri is no different from Sibu!!!
As a matter of fact, all the Bumiputera in the state are rejoicing upon learning that James Masing has bluntly told Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) to buck up and stop from sidelining or ignoring his race in Sibu.
Although James Masing is actually highlighting the predicaments experienced by his race, the other races still feel that the Iban leader is also indirectly helping them because they are also being sidelined by the Chinese.
Although the Sibu Malays are seemed to be quiet on the ill-treatment which they have received from SUPP for many decades but it does not mean that they never complained about this.
As a matter of fact, they have been telling their so-called leader Datuk Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah about this but sadly instead of trying to convey the messages to the SUPP leaders, he has scolded them for being ridiculous.
It is an open secret among the Sibu Malays ( as well as the Malays in Sarawak), that Bemee is very protective of the SUPP leaders as if he is not a member of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).
Therefore, it is not a surprise that the Sibu Malays are giving a lukewarm response to the efforts to woo them to support the SUPP candidate Robert Lau Hui Yew in the Sibu parliamentary by-election.
To them, it doesn’t matter who will win the election, it would be the same for the Sibu Malays (and the Sibu Ibans, as well).
In view of that many Sibu Bumiputera are reluctant to go back to Sibu to cast their votes.
Only the Chinese voters are keen to go back to choose the winner – not the Bumiputera.
SUPP must be taught a good lesson by the Bumiputera – don’t boycott the by-election but vote for Pakatan Rakyat / Democratic Action Party (DAP).
So only then the party leaders could be made to appreciate the support from the non-Chinese who had been giving their support to them for the sake of the Barisan Nasional in many elections in the past.
Therefore, James Masing might be right when he said this time around, in this by-election, it is not the BN which is being judged by the voters but SUPP.
According to an insider from SUPP, despites of the hu ha by the BN leaders in Sibu, the party is only expected to get about 40 percent votes from the Chinese.
Hence, in order to win the by-election, SUPP is hoping that it would get the remaining from the Bumiputera.
This is the reason that why SUPP has decided to highlight the way DAP has treated the Malays in Semenanjung as a scare tactic for the Bumiputera.
But what they fail to realize is that the strategy fails to work its magic to the Bumiputera in Sibu because the party is no different from DAP.
The only thing that differentiate them is, SUPP is in the BN while DAP is in the PR (which is an illegal coalition).
However, if the Bumiputera want SUPP to respect them, then DAP must win the Sibu by-election.
Period.
When SUPP lost the seat, not only the party will get the message but also the Nangka state assemblyman who has been in the same league with SUPP since the first day he is elected as the YB.
In the nut shell, DAP is a good party to support because it will help to make SUPP and its henchman Bemee to start to listen to them.
VOTE FOR DAP IS A VOTE FOR A CHANGE !!!
