Sarawak Politics Dream

In Sarawak politics it seems, those party boys, especially the younger Bumiputera can only dream becoming an elected representative. The politics of divide and rule has its roots to this misfortune.

It is actually a political strategy of gaining and maintaining power by making sure that those immediately under command are non grass roots. In this way the parachuted nominated representative will only serve the “Boss” and no one else including the People. That is why when the Boss is expected to come over a particular function, all the so call “people representative” will be busy making sure that the function is fit for a King.

On the other hand, if demand from voters, these paratroopers can arrogantly turn to deaf ears. For example, they will delegate it to someone else. This is because they don’t serve the people but only their Boss. If the Boss like him or her, well he or she can serve another term and get some more projects through their nominated family members. Believe me; you can see this happening in junior elected representative. I think the older ones; experience enough can keep their cool.

This blocking of genuine support of power by itself will enhance the power of the Boss. Simply, it often refers to a strategy where small power groups are prevented from linking up and becoming more powerful, since it is difficult to break up existing power structures.

At the end of the day, this strategy will only work if the Bumiputera community are still hunger for material support. This strategy is slowly fading among the Chinese community in Sarawak for a very simple reason that the vast majorly of the Chinese community are financially independent.

That is why George Chan should not follow this strategy. SUPP should consider those candidates that really have serve the people meaning the grass root boys and girls. These party boys should be a sincere individual, for example, a teacher who is an active party member, who has helped many students by giving free tuition class at home may well make a better candidate than a son of a timber tycoon who never step foot in a monsoon drain. Well both have served the people, but the teacher is seen as a more sincere person then a silver spoon fellow whom people think that he had enough of the rich and famous life style and instead give chance to others the prospect to live up to his life.