Letter to the Editor
By Prof Datuk Dr Jayum Jawan
In less than 24 hours to go, do delegates to the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Triennial Delegates Conference (TDC) have enough information to decide whom they want as president and Youth chief? It is supposed to be a ‘contest within the family,’ but word is that there is intense campaigning as candidates try to reach out to the voting delegates.
Some candidates who reached for their views retort that the number of nominations from divisions for each eligible candidate does not reflect the real sentiment, and neither would show the real votes at the weekend polls. That is because each branch sends an approved number of delegates. Nominations by branches, some argued, do not reflect the real votes that each candidate would get at the poll. There are only 38 branches, but voters are a lot more than that number at the polling booths.
That being so, Wilson Nyabong Ijang thus still has a good chance to win and be the third president of PRS against the favourite, Dato Sri John Sikie Tayai, based on branch nominations.
But it is true too that branch nominations do not necessarily and directly translate into votes for the competing candidates. If delegates vote for whom they think will be good based on performance, then there might still be equal chances that either Sikie or Naybong would win. Sikie is perhaps a little known as he has been a full minister in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government since the passing of the late Tan Sri James Jemut Masing.
Thus, what he can and cannot do or what he has done and has not done is known to party members and delegates. This will be the basis on which delegates will look at him when they cast their votes this weekend.
However, Nyabong may not be at a disadvantage because he is not in the limelight as much as Sikie. Not holding any government position might not work to Nyabong’s disadvantage. His ability is not tested, unlike Sikie, who would be easily associated with issues that remained unresolved within his assigned duties as minister in the Premier’s department.
As the most senior member of the party who holds a full ministerial position, he has been under scrutiny by members. This contrasts with Nyabong, who cannot be faulted, as he has not had the opportunity to hold any position.
Other than the ministerial position, there is nothing much that separates the two presidential candidates. Thus, what each has to offer to the delegates would determine the outcome of the poll. Supports among ‘warlords’ within the party may be important, but irrelevant, and the latter reflect remnants of tribal politics that are fading and tools of the disenfranchised.
The above situation would also speak of the Youth contest. Do branch nominations necessarily reflect the delegate voting pattern? If not, then Christopher Gira Sumbang, who appeared to have fewer nominations compared to Kennedy Chukpai Ugon, could sail through and prevail in the contest. But when a candidate turns to being ‘an underdog’, he needs to up his antics in the last-minute campaign to reverse the potential tide in his favour.
Both Nyabong and Gira could change the general perception about the number of nominations candidates received and still be giving their respective opponents a run for their money.
Prof Datuk Dr Jayum Jawan is currently a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and at the Institution of Malay Rulers Chair at UiTIM.
This is the personal opinion of the author(s) and does not necessarily represent the views of DayakDaily. Letters to the Editor may be lightly edited for clarity.
— DayakDaily
