Batang Ai By-Election

Our time is now. The upcoming Batang Ai state by-election will see a new battleground for PKR, but a most familiar terrain for PKR Lubok Antu divison pro tem chairman Nicholas Bawin.

Batang Ai is one of the state seats in the Lubok Antu parliamentary constituency. About 95% of the electorate in Batang Ai is Iban, most of them farmers.

Bawin, a former Sarawak National Party (SNAP) vice-president, has contested twice in Batang Ai. In the last state elections in 2006, he secured 2,489 votes, losing to Unting by 806 votes in a straight fight.

Bawin stood as an independent in Lubok Antu in last year’s general election, obtaining 5,159 votes but lost to Barisan’s William Nyallau, who polled 6,769 votes.

Bawin, who hails from the Nanga Tutong longhouse in Batang Ai, is the most qualified person to lead the people Batang Ai and to bring about the overdue change of government in Sarawak.

Screenshot of The Star Online

BN's 200 Buses of Unproductive Citizens

Is this a bus depot? No. This is the Masjid Terapung or the floating mosque of Kuala Terengganu situated in Kuala Ibai.

On nomination day of the Kuala Terengganu by-election, more than 110 buses were parked on the compound of the beautiful mosque. Elsewhere, all over Kuala Terengganu, there were even more buses. I counted over 200 buses that morning. The buses brought in Barisan Nasional supporters from all over the country. They were mostly members of UMNO, Wanita UMNO, Pemuda UMNO and Puteri UMNO.

And they all did not look like they paid for their fares. These are the UMNO hangers-on, leeches, suckers, ass polishes seeking favours, handouts and contracts. Or just free rides to a place where they could not afford to go on their own.

On that nomination day, there was massive traffic jam - unprecedented. The massive number of policemen could do nothing to minimize the lost productivity of the day. Thousands were late for work and businesses, except the eateries and keropok lekor stalls did not do well.