Sarawakian and prominent native customary rights (NCR) land lawyer, Baru Bian
Courtesy of Malaysian Mirror
is to head PKR in Sarawak.
You can read about this in the Malaysian Mirror.
I first met Baru up in Kuching when I was there earlier this year in connection with the Batang Ai by-election. The last I met him was at a talk in USJ on 1st August, this year.
Baru has the reputation of a no-nonsense, ‘straight as an arrow’ defender of the rights of the downtrodden.
PKR could not have picked a better man, if you ask me.
Malaysiakini today reports that the majority of the PKR divisions in Sabah have thrown their lot behind one division chief as the next Sabah PKR state chief to take over from Azmin. That one name has been communicated to PKR HQ in KL who are expected to decide and announce the name of the new Sabah state chief this coming Sunday.
My source in KK tells me that the one name submitted to PKR HQ is that of Keningau division chief Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan, who is also a PKR national vice-president.
If the division chiefs are representative of the will of the members of their respective divisions, then it would appear as if the PKR Sabah grassroots have spoken up to choose the leader who will lead them into the 13th General Elections, whenever that is.
Question is, will the national leadership of PKR at Merchant Square in KL, do right by their grassroots in Sabah?
The People's Parliament 
jesseltonite
October 23, 2009
Sigh….I don’t know Haris….I just wish it wasn’t him….the average Sabahan voter have totally no confidence in this man Jeffrey Kitingan………..
But PKR is a democratic party…if the majority of the division heads support him then that is PKR’s internal choice…
Just wish that PKR Sabah could choose more capable, untainted leaders..but that is just a personal wish…or rather, opinion.
zabaniah
March 26, 2011
musnahkan PKR. hancurkan meraka sampai ke akar umbi
jefferi78
October 23, 2009
there are easy way to this, just don’t choose PKR. PKR is not the solution for sabah problem because the leader is the root cause of problem for sabah. some said he is a change man, i believe he is but not as much as we want he to be. his bad choice to head sabah PKR is the sign that he still on his old ways. as many said, “bad habits die hard”. it just pure politics and back to power. sabah and sarawak is the main key for next general election. whoever able to get full support from this two states will be the ruling government. BN and PR has level the game field. now every politician talking what we wanting to hear but can they deliver?
cktan
October 23, 2009
you can say a man can change. if we submit to the rhetoric that demonise isa in bagan pinang, i will do the same with jeffrey kitingan in sabah. personally i didn’t trust him at all. however, since it’s a democratic practise to let people choose who lead them, if the other division leaders feel fit to be lead by him, go on since i am not pkr member. having said that, you need to scutinise the division leaders as well. you won’t want to have another DAP’s Hee but what the heck, sabah is a frog state!!!!
for the record, sabahan here.
The Simple man
October 23, 2009
Bro Haris,
What i like about the whole matter is transparecy. The ability to agree to disagree. However we look to PKR, DAP and PAS to be United as a pact and to solve their internal problems amicably. They are realisticaly our hopes for change in our country. Whatever their troubles are, what is more important is their service to the people.That was the reason people voted for them. They must remember that we put there to serve and can also take them out.
My 2 cents!!!
ugahchua
October 23, 2009
This man no doubt is very popular in Sabah esp. among the kadazan/Dusun ethnic.
Jeneral Ken
October 23, 2009
Cian Dr jeff, ramai tak kenal siapa dirimu yg sebenar.. if only they know u, they wont pass -ve comment against u… Jeneral Ken
Aki Munsang
October 23, 2009
Baru Bian….
As a person, he is a good man. HOWEVER, politics being the cruel and vicious animal that it is, PKR Pusat should have thought harder…
The biggest majority race in Sarawak are DAyaks aka Ibans & Bidayuh.. which is 39% of the people in Sarawak.
Baru is a Lunbawang from Lawas, a tiny area of Northern Sarawak. If PKR is to be led by a tiny faction a race in Sarawak, I fear BN will have a filed day harping this issue!
Heck, Baru doesn’t even admit he’s Dayak! A Dayak celebrates Gawai Dayak, Lunbawangs don’t!
We Dayaks are a proud people, and we do not take it too kindly that a minority is leading the PKR in Sarawak!
We Sarawakians laugh at ourselves being controlled by Taib Mahmud who’s a Melanau, who are a minority in Sarawak, now we are looking at a minority Lunbawang to lead Sarawak PKR? Please… we’ve already lost the fight in DAyak areas already by this stupid decision by KL…….
my tw@ cents
pkr best
October 23, 2009
dayak cannot lead party, dayak only can lead buat kepala palau saja
u dayak always says ikut belakang saja, lambat laun ada sikit2 projek pun cukup. can u tell the world which iban and bidayuh can fight @ challenge taib mahmud. only baru bian can fight our right
wy
October 24, 2009
aki, just a simple thought. i just don’t understand why the matter of ‘who is the majority/minority’ still becomes an issue.
you guys just can’t get out from the box.
what we need is someone with credibility and responsibility. why matters even if he’s not a dayaks?
look at umno leaders, they represent the majorities, so what have they done?
pkr best
October 23, 2009
we must think wisely, yes we know dayak 39% maybe less than tat, but iban and bidayuh pengecut selalu tarik diri last minit, dari pemerhati saya, dayak suka duit saja. kalau tak ada kantau tak mau sokong.
tengok macam yb gabriel keluar dari PKR gara2 tak dpt fund pakai dia joli dalam pub.
so what.
dayak useless
Ibat
October 23, 2009
Aki Murang, I am in full agreement with you. It does seem to me that PKR is clueless about leadership and leaders. Its a pity, I’m fed up of B1N1, but the way PKR is going, I would have to abstain in the next election – unless Zaid Ibrahim forms and lead a new MALAYSIAN party.
Joe Ang
October 23, 2009
If Aki Munsang is right, then it looks like the PKR HQ had not been meticulous enough. Should have plunge for a Dayak then but was there any credible dayak who came to the fore to be considered.
Is it too late to change and maybe Baru Bian can tell us.
Nizam
October 24, 2009
Dear Aki Munsang,
First of all, nama brita nuan?
Second, as your fellow Sarawakian, and furthermore I came from the minority Melanau community, my advice to you and the rest of Dayak community, stop this leadership-based-on-race thing or we will go nowhere!
Please ponder at this point, there IS NO race which is majority in Sarawak. Ibans 30%, Malays 20%, Melanau 5% and so on.
So now we want the leadership is based on race itself? So you are going to be satisfied with the 39% support (that is assuming you will get 100% support from Iban and Bidayuh which is impossible) and you think by that number you will be able to form the state government?
Don’t you think that to succeed in bringing Taib down, you would need the support of the Chinese, of the Malays and of the Melanaus too (even if you don’t like them, but hell, not all Melanau like Taib lah!), and of the Orang Ulu, of the Kedayans and etc?
Don’t you think that to defeat BN you would need inter race support? And do you seriously think that by having an Iban leader, it would easy to convince the Chinese, the Malays and Melanaus to vote for PR?
And I also suggest that you talk to your Bidayuh friends. You would be surprised that they don’t exactly like the Iban-leadership slogan. Come on, they are minority too and a Bidayuh will still be a Bidayuh till kingdom come. Never he/she will be an Iban.
I am a Melanau and my own gut feeling told me that Taib wants you all to speak of Ketuanan Iban/Dayak. If I were him, I would encourage that. Divide the Dayaks so that they are weaken. And furthermore let some of them talk loudly of “ketuanan Dayak” so other race will distance themselves from the thought of having an Iban leader.
And presto! I am in power longer than Mahathir himself! Congratulation Taib!
Please la Aki, do ponder on it. Do I have to tell you too that Malays too fear these “Ketuanan Dayak” thing. Hey, I even met some of them who told me that if BN is defeated, there will be “Ketuanan Cina” around. Hahahaha.
Divide! Divide! Divide! Fear! Fear! Fear!
It was so successful, that in Petrajaya, the Malay votes in droves a Melanau (yes, he is a Melanau) and the Malay candidate from PKR lost his deposit.
And for another 4 years, the Malays, like you, will talk on how they despise the Melanaus.
It baffles me, a Melanau. And do you know why? Because one of the very few vote that Malay PKR candidate got comes from me.
Hear this from a Melanau. If you want to defeat Taib, you got to stop this. Stop seeing things from race perspective or from “Ketuanan” perspective. As someone who spent sometime working in Peninsular, believe me when I say it is very destructive and in no way will help us Sarawakians to go ahead.
But as for myself, I sincerely want to see a change (not just the leadership) and I hail the appointment of Encik Baru as the PKR chief. As long as he is able to do a good job and to be fair to all race, he is my choice too.
But if you really love Taib and the few Melanaus around him, go ahead with “Ketuanan” this and that. And rest assure my brother that you are in every way helping Taib to hold the post of CM till his death.
Tommy
October 24, 2009
Shit! Why is it that still now everyone insists on “race”? What is so proud of your “race”? I am a chinese “race” but I am not proud of it.I am proud to be part of the “human race”!!
Commenters bash me if you are not part of the “human race”!
Tweeting Bird
October 24, 2009
Seriously, PKR should just do the right thing. Remove all current office bearers and put in the newest and cleanest young political leaders. These young fellas however have to be people of standing and not anwerable to any political master. Reject Dr. Jeff, Ansari, Christina Liew, Daniel John and so many other who are all has beens … put in unknown but steady educated people. By the way, the tweeting bird told me that Azizah will announce “Ahmad Thamrin”, the current liaison secretary as the PKR Chief in Sabah …. oh goodness
Joe Average
February 24, 2010
I looked at the PKR Sarawak website. And it’s in Iban. I, a non-Iban,could not understand a single word. How would you expect me to give my support if the website is wholly in a language that excludes me?
And this talk of ketuanan Dayak..so if PKR win, will it assert Dayak hegemony instead? How different is it from ketuanan Melayu of UMNO.
And will there be a backlash against certain ethnic group just because we share the ‘white hair”s ethnicity, even though we are also not happy with the way he runs the state?
That’s the problem with PKR. No clear ideology at all. Sorry, I am not convinced.
Well, at least there’s always the rocket party..
forestbear
October 24, 2009
Nizam, you are truely an anak Sarawak, I am happy and proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you as a Sarawakian. I sokong what you say 100%.
Aki Munsang, forget about race, about Ketuanan Iban. Otherwise, you’re no better than the UNMO Malays with their ketuanan Melayu.
We are all Malaysians for God’s sake, and what we want is justice and fair governance for all, those who need help must be helped irregardless of race or religion.
Aki, you name one upstanding Iban or Bidayuh leader who is comparable to Baru Bian in integrity, consistency and commitment to the rakyat and I am sure Baru himself will step aside most willingly. I’m sorry I cannot think of a single ‘towering’ Iban leader but I thought Bidayuh Richard Riot is a sincere grassroot leader. However, he did not even have the guts to leave his comfortable space in BN when approached by Pakatan after 308 to switch camp eventhough he was marginalised by Taib to be a state or federal minister after 4 terms as YB; instead Taib chose his own son, the first term Sulaiman Taib as the federal Deputy Tourism Minister.
Have you heard the grapevine lately that our Taib is preparing for his Tunship; that he recently went overseas to marry a West Malaysian Malay and thinking of marrying his late brother’s widow to secure the vast assets left behind by his late brother. And people like Aki is splitting hairs about only an Iban can lead the Dayaks – is Sarawak made up of Dayaks only???