As Sarawak Decides, Political Intrigue Grips Umno And The Peninsula

Written by  Jason Tan, Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is not the only one giving Prime Minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor nightmares and sleeplessness. It looks like Taib Mahmud - directly or indirectly - is also giving the chubby couple severe indigestion both at Putrajaya and in Umno.

When Najib touched down onto Borneo soil a couple of days ago, his first message was that he had reached an understanding with Taib and the latter had agreed to step down as the Chief Minister of Sarawak - soon.

Like Najib and Rosmah, Taib is dogged by a mountain of corruption scandals and there are even allegations of involvement in murder most foul. But at 74, Taib may have ingested more salt than Najib.

S'wak Polls : From Amazing Race Borneo Jungle To Death Threats

Written by  Selena Tay, Malaysia Chronicle

As the clock ticks down to a historic election verdict on Saturday, Malaysia's ruling BN coalition has begun to use threats and aggression to stay in power at all costs.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Rakyat team are keeping their cards close to their chest but one way or another, win or lose, things will never be the same in the Land of the Hornbills. A political awakening has taken root and will continue to grow and flourish in the years to come.

"Knowledge is power and BN is very afraid that we might be making headway in our campaign to the indigenous and tribal people," PKR MP for Kuantan Fuziah Salleh told Malaysia Chronicle.

Malaysia's Ruling Coalition Resorting To Cyber Attacks, Threats And Intimidations

Written by  Jason Tan, Malaysia Chronicle

With Pakatan Rakyat making final pushes by launching a series of public rallies ahead of the Sarawak state elections, the fast-falling Barisan Nasional regime has responded in an illicit manner.

For the past two days, popular news portals SarawakReport.org and Malaysiakini were completely clamped down when 'distributed denial-of-service attacks' (DDOS) were launched.

The recent round of cyber attacks on the alternative media drew parallels between a falling Hosni Murbarak and the Barisan Nasional government. The former Egypt president resorted to cutting off the internet when his government was falling to a historical Egyptian revolution.

Najib And Taib Are Closely Intertwined

Written by  Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysia Chronicle

There is nothing difficult to analyse about Sarawak. If Sarawak’s Chief Minister Taib Mahmud falls, Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak knows that the domino effect will mean that BN in semenanjung has no chance.

If the Sarawakians are prepared to opt for change, then the peninsular Malaysians will take their cue from them. GE-13 is around the corner and Najib cannot take any chances.

Najib knows that his only task at this moment in time, is to make sure Taib and BN stay on, in control of Sarawak.

The Horror If BN Loses In Sarawak

Written by  Iskandar Dzulkarnain, Malaysia Chronicle

EDITOR'S PICK A-LOOK-AHEAD As the sun sets over the horizon and the dust begins to settle, the results of the Sarawak Election begins to trickle in. And much to the horror of BN, hitting with the impact of a bombshell, the realisation that the people of Sarawak have finally rejected the once-mighty BN.

No, there is no doubt about it. Recount as much as you like but the Pakatan Rakyat coalition has managed to secure a sensational win in Sarawak. Against all odds, the people of Sarawak have spoken. Change is unavoidable. Another Tsunami has landed.

Sarawak Polls Start To Turn Murky : BN Begins Using Threats

Written by  Selena Tay, Malaysia Chronicle

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is now a man in desperate straits. The death of a senior Customs officer in the MACC premises in the peninsula has thrown him out on a loop as far as national opinion of him is concerned.

In Sarawak, his back is also to the wall.

As campaigning in the 10th Sarawak state election moves into top gear, he has begun attacking DAP with full force by using barely veiled threats that urge the Chinese in the state to vote the BN.

Otherwise, their participation in the economy and laws of the state will be buried. Failure to vote BN will render the Sarawak Chinese voiceless and impotent! Or so, Najib and his minions insist.

Najib's Neck Is On The Line In Sarawak

Written by  Jason Tan, Malaysia Chronicle

The upcoming Sarawak state elections is dubbed as one of the most crucial in Malaysian history. Results of the elections would inevitably serve as a barometer for the next general elections. This would also be the time for Prime Minister Najib Razak to prove that his illustrious 'One Malaysia' is not a fluke and an empty slogan after all.

Yet, the appeal filed by the Attorney-General Chambers against the High Court decision of allowing the usage of the word 'Allah' by Christians, as well as the demanding conditions imposed upon the Malay bible had instantly proved his slogan otherwise. One would also remember vividly how Najib's aides requested for the removal of crucifixes and the banning of hymns in a church last year. These incidents had certainly brought freedom of religion to a new low, and would certainly impact on the Sarawak elections, where the majority of Sarawakians are Christians.

Will Sarawak's Poorest Rise To The Occasion And Send Najib And Taib Packing

Written by  Selena Tay, Malaysia Chronicle

The battle for Sarawak has swung into high gear. Prime Minister Najib Razak and Chief Minister Taib Mahmud are going all out to woo the long-neglected people of Malaysia's largest but poorest state.

In particular, they are targeting the Chinese but the word on the ground is that the majority of Sarawakians regardless of ethnicity or tribe want to vote for Pakatan Rakyat.

Najib and Taib have campaigned using the 'stability and prosperity' slogan in a bid to convince voters that only the BN Government can bring stability and prosperity.

Against the duo's willingness to use the full might of the federal machinery including all ways to win, whether fair or foul, Paktan is in for a very tough battle in the election due for balloting on April 16

Sarawak Civil Servants Told : Taib Cannot Harm You, He Cannot Trace Your Votes

Written by  Malaysia Chronicle

 Dear Fellow Sarawakians in the Civil Service, For far too long we have been intimidated by Taib, his ministers, and his appointed heads of departments.

We have been fearful that our votes can be traced and discovered and we will be transferred to the Penan kampungs in ulu Belaga and ulu Baram, ulu Lawas to Baru Bian’s kampung, ulu Balleh to James Jimut’s longhouse, to ulu Pakan to William Mawan’s longhouse (but please don’t send me to Betong – I can’t stand Jabu’s stench).

But, even if our votes can be traced, if everyone of us votes for change, how can Taib and his Chief Minister’s Office transfer all of us? There won’t be enough office space in all of our rural offices.

Imagine what would happen if just a fraction of us are transferred?

SULTAN DARI BINTULU DENGAN LAPANGAN TERBANG BINTULU !

The Old Bintulu Airport now
 occupies a prime space
 in the centre of the town.

Golongan peniaga di Bintulu sedang menunggu peluang untuk mendapatkan suatu kawasan yang amat luas ti tengah-tengah daerah itu yang sedang digunakan sebagai tapak lapangan terbang lama.

Kawasan berkenaan adalah tanah awam, dan perlepasan tanah itu adalah di bawah kawalan Ketua Menteri, selaku Menteri Perancangan dan Pembangunan Sumber, dan juga selaku Menteri Kewangan, seorang yang berdominasi dalam daerah kelahirannya, Bintulu.

Prosperity For Taib And BN, Poverty And Misery For Sarawakians

Written by  Selena Tay, Malaysia Chronicle

Chief Minister of Sarawak Taib Mahmud has urged Sarawakians going to the polls on April 16 to vote BN for the sake of peace, prosperity and progress. It is the umpteenth time he is making such a call. This has been Taib's theme throughout his walkabouts in Sarawak. This is also BN's theme come every general election and it has been this way for the longest time.

So far, the gullible Malaysian electorate have fallen for this line until the March 2008 tsunami blew in. After that, not only were many Malaysians awoken, but things have never really been the same. And that is for the better, many pundits have said.

However, Taib's and BN's strong point is that they control the mainstream media and thus they have the power to manipulate the minds of the Sarawak electorate, most of whom lack access to the alternative media.