Wrong Allegiance

Sarawak's state election will begin anytime soon. The current term expires mid-June so the chief minister is likely to dissolve the state assembly and call an election soon.

Sarawakians love Adenan very much, and I personally think he is a great guy. I'm not a Sarawakian but I have to be fair and eulogise those who deserve it.

Adenan hears his people, he walks his talk and he truly delivers. It's hard for Sarawakians to hate or reject him.

But, here's the problem.

While Adenan is indeed a capable leader, he has a wrong allegiance. He serves Najib as long as he is part of Barisan Nasional. His party may not have links to UMNO, nor does UMNO has presence in Sarawak, but as long as PBB is part of the coalition, like it or not, whatever happens to UMNO is gonna spread to PBB.

Adenan has been able to do a lot for the state. But one thing he has consistently failed is the engagement between Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. He does a good job in internal work but when it comes to Sarawak's relation with other states, he has not performed as satisfactorily as he loves to chant.

Sarawakians are generous. As long as the leaders voice their concerns and vow to solve them, Sarawakians give them the vote. If the chief ministers ask for more time, Sarawakians give the time.

The same thing cannot be said for West Malaysians. West Malaysians want to see results. If it's all talk but not result, you can pray to God that you want to keep your job, but if you fail to deliver, West Malaysians will show no mercy.

Obviously Sarawakians and West Malaysians take a different approach in this matter.

One thing Sarawak media fails to highlight is the political issue in West Malaysia. They NEVER (I know, I'm in Sarawak and read their newspapers) report on what West Malaysian political parties always promise to deliver, and always fail to do so. They promise a lot, just like Adenan does.

To be fair, Adenan is in office for only two years, so results may take time. But UMNO has been gripping West Malaysia for decades. If they fail to deliver, they should have no more chance.

50 plus years after Independence, Sarawak remains lagged behind compared to other states. And yet they still trust their government to deliver after 50 years of stagnation. West Malaysians would not wait anymore. They have tried to kick BN out and they will continue to do so.

And Adenan is now making the very same mistake UMNO did in West Malaysia many years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if Sarawak falls into the same turmoil West Malaysia do now years later.

West Malaysians can cease hoping to kick BN out by hoping Sarawakians would vote against BN. Sarawakians will continue to vote for Adenan, and consequentially Najib will win big in Sarawak election. Sarawak and Sabah are two states you can dream that Najib will continue to hold firm grip on, and the two states Opposition can give up trying to win.

No doubt West Malaysians will continue to be frustrated that the fate of Najib actually depends on regions where his party does not exist, and regions where he has high seat allocation. West Malaysians will no doubt continue to be frustrated by the fact that his party has created turmoil in West Malaysia, and no matter how angry they are, they are still powerless to topple the government, because they are firmly rooted in regions where it is impossible for them to be removed.

It is indeed ironic that the fate of Malaysia where there is close to 30 million population lies on the decision of the 5 million of people who do not suffer from direct actions of the irresponsible government. Sarawak and Sabah have both about 5 million people but they account for almost 40% of parliament seats.

It's time West Malaysians realise to save the nation, we have to be united. We were very close, and we could be closer in the next election.