COMMENTARY Jamilah’s victory foregone conclusion

THE result of the Tanjong Datu by-election on Feb 18 is a foregone conclusion – Barisan Nasional ( BN) candidate Datin Patinggi Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu will win hands down.

The only question is could she match the winning margin of her husband Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, whose demise on 11 Jan led to this by-election.

In the May 7 state polls, Adenan garnered 6,360 votes, which was 92 per cent of the 6,936 votes cast. His opponent Jazolkipli Numan from PKR managed to poll only 468 votes.

Adenan’s popularity during his terms as the assemblyman of the constituency and later as the state’s fifth chief minister had paved the way for Jamilah’s certain victory.

Naturally, BN’s campaign focus is on Adenan’s legacy as huge black-and-white billboards of him with touching messages sprung up at strategic locations across the constituency.

‘ You wanted five more years, but you left us much too soon. We will continue your quest for Sarawak’s rights’ and ‘Gone too soon’ are two of the messages that hit heart strings of the voters.

Besides these poignant slogans highlighting Adenan’s fight for Sarawak rights serve as a strong pull for votes. Then, there is the sympathy for the widow who carries on her husband’s mission even during her mourning period.

Jamilah’s absence from campaigning events because of observance of her ‘iddah’ (an allocated period that a Muslim woman must observe after the death of her husband) has gained her more sympathy than resentment.

However, it is grossly unfair to conclude that Jamilah would win the by- election solely because of her husband’s good work.

Due to Adenan’s poor health and stamina as well as his need to focus on state matters, Jamilah had often deputised him in going to the round to meet the people.

She is no stranger to the local people and in her own right, she is a worthy candidate for BN.

However, BN is taking nothing for granted and is treating this by-election seriously.

The ruling coalition has set its well-oiled election machinery in full swing since nomination day under the direction of Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, whose Santubong parliamentary constituency covers Tanjong Datu, where he is the BN operations director for the byelection.

Adenan’s untimely death, with so much of his mission yet to be accomplished, had set forth an unprecedented outpouring of grief and accolades for a state leader and such was the respect for him that the state’s two main opposition parties PKR and DAP decided to stay out of the contest in Tanjong Datu.

However, the fringe opposition parties State Reform Party (STAR) and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru ( PBDS Baru) threw their hats into the ring by fielding Johnny Aput and Rapelson Richard Hamit, respectively.

Trying to win the by- election is an exercise in futility given the overwhelming odds stacked against them, but winning is not their top priority. Rather, this byelection is a platform for them to make their stand on issues that they have been fighting for, and also to keep their parties in the Sarawak political scene especially with the next general election ( GE14) expected to be held sooner, rather than later.

Ironically, if there were to be any challenge for BN in the byelection, it could come from some elements within its stat backbone party, PBB.

Words on the ground have it that several community leaders had been found to be using the name of Adenan to reap benefits for themselves. The cases were reported to Adenan and he had contemplated removing them from their positions as community and PBB branch leaders – before his passing.

“Tok Nan was already pondering of removing these community leaders. However, he passed away before anything happened. Datuk Jamilah also knew about Adenan’s intention. If Jamilah were to win, these community leaders would sure be replaced,” said an anonymous source.

These community leaders could turn against BN during the byelection out of spite and although they could not derail Jamilah’s certain victory, their protest votes could reduce the winning margin. That was probably why SJK Chung Hua Lundu board chairman Chen Chung Yee predicted that more than 90 per cent of the Chinese constituents would vote for Jamilah, but her overall support would only be 80 to 90 per cent.

BN’s worst enemy in Tanjong Datu is complacency, but with its long experience in elections the coalition is very much aware of that danger.