The New Robin Hood Playground: Sarawak!

I have read many exposes of the corruption and mismanagement under the Taib Mahmud administration in Sarawak, that Sarawak Report has prominently spoke of. Someone called Taib as somewhat "immune" or in Malay "kebal" meaning that no one, not even the MACC nor even Najib is able to touch Taib Mahmud mainly because he amasses more money that could even match the amount of reserves available in Malaysia alone.

I find this state elections very interesting though it brings back memories of the 2008 election campaign though not as big as it is right now. It also allows to test the change effect that will happen with the main factor being the "Hate Taib" factor. After all, people have pointed Taib in many parallels to the deposed Hosni Mubarak, with two things in common: both men have been running the state for 30 years and have amassed a huge fortune that gets stashed in other places including the Swiss bank. The "Hate Pak Lah" factor was the main reason why PR won unprecedentedly that year, and denied Barisan Nasional 2/3rds.

It has become public knowledge that Taib used bomohs (read black magic) as a part of the play dirty way to win elections. Even one of his relatives, Salleh Jafaruddin have started to make noise the moment the blonde bomoh, which was brought in by Raziah Mahmud to her brother Taib makes the appearance last night. This too, not only does seen in Taib's circle, but in Alfred Jabu's. Whenever a PR ceramah that happens in Jabu's territory, the police was hell bent on stopping ceramahs there. It gives a tell-tale sign that they were acting under Jabu's directive - a baruah, shall I say.

No, that's not the main point I would want to say. I came to notice, that as we've gone into the second day of campaigning in Sarawak, it has already started to become the playground that harks to the days of the legend of Robin Hood and Nottingham. In Sarawak, it is very similar to the legend, where the people of Sarawak must undertake the quest to free the country from the tyranny of despots. In this case, Taib Mahmud was very similar to King John himself. And as the story goes like John, Taib would robbed the natives land rights, people's wealth, and give it to the rich barons allied to him and in the process, people were poor and the state never prospered where people would reap its rewards. Not at all.

A conventional main villain always has its number twos and Taib always has his deputies - George Chan, also one of his brother-in-laws, and Alfred Jabu whom is very similar in role, capacity like the Sheriff of Nottingham. Any child or those who remembered stories and tales would know that the Sheriff would do the dirty work, going out with crew under him to harass the poor people, rob the riches and whack people who do not conform to their definition of norms.

George Chan and SUPP recently said the Chinese that they would lose representation if Pakatan Rakyat were voted into power. DAP there's it down, saying it is equivalent to harassment. Don't you notice that George Chan is like the Sheriff? Like MCA, SUPP are playing second fiddle behind PBB, which means if SUPP gets whacked out all together (29 seats) - there will be no 2/3rd majority that Taib wants. DAP is right on one thing - SUPP is selling out the Chinese as it was reported here.

And this of course leaves to the Sarawakians that they can play stock characters from the protagonist faction. People can play Robin Hood, Little John or the other merry men, Christians, recently muddled in the Al-Kitab bible crisis with the federal government can play as Friar Tuck if required, while the ladies can play as Marion. But as the story goes, the struggle to win the fight against King John's army and the bandits cannot be done alone - it must be done in the unified fashion, and in this case - a 60 seat win for PR would be very much convincing, and overwhelmingly send a message to Najib and Co that 54 years of BN is enough already, and at the same time Taib could end up the same fate as Hosni Mubarak. Again, it only happens if people are not swayed by BN's words and temptations (some might mirror it as the Devil's temptation).

The Magna Carta signing in 1215 is very unique as it is a starting point of a charter and it also points out that the role of king is not absolute like an Egyptian Pharoah. It is only through the struggle of Robin Hood, as the story says that the Magna Carta was finally forced on John to sign it, explicitly saying that no man can be punished by other means except by the law of the land.

If you see from top to down, it is very same. The only problem is there are people who are not willing to listen and would want to keep it again and again. No, the conventions have changed, that kind of mentality must be stopped and shed. I have observed how the campaigning is going on the first two days and PR's campaign was very similar as to Robin Hood leading citizens. It is also agreed and noted that PR is very hard in debunking such claims that BN would say here and as to answer the claim that "Opposition has no track record" the answer is clear: they can't show the record because they were never put into office for once and remained in opposition. If you want to see it, you have to put them to judge it!

Oh, it's going to be a Robin Hood style play right now in Sarawak!