Since I got banned from entering Sabah last December, I’ve taken to Labuan to carry on my work.
A report in the Daily Express might give you some insight into the kind of work going on there.
And in the course of that work, I have had the pleasure and privilege of meeting and working with some of the leaders and members from PKR, DAP and SAPP in Labuan.
The parliamentary seat of Labuan is currently held by UMNO / BN.
In the 2004 12th GE, UMNO’s Suhaili Abdul Rahman, the incumbent, garnered 11,087 votes against 3,186 votes that went the way of PAS candidate Matusin Abdul Rahman to retain the seat for UMNO /BN.
Voter turnout that year was 14,761 or 68.59%, with 488 spoilt votes.
The breakdown of voters according to ethnicity in 2004 was :
Chinese: 25.20% Indians: 2.20 Bumiputra Muslims: 37% Others: 35.60%
In the 12th GE, Suhaili Abdul Rahman was dropped and replaced by Yusoff Mahal, who was involved in a 3-corner contest involving PAS candidate Matusin Abdul Rahman and independent candidate Lau Seng Kiat.
Yusoff Mahal won, polling 10,471 votes, Lau came in second with 2,014 votes, whilst Matusin managed only 1,106 votes, losing his deposit.
Voter turnout was 14,149 or 68.1%, with 311 spoilt votes.
Why did the PAS candidate fare the worst of the 3 candidates?
I’m told by the locals, including some of the Muslims, that the lifestyle of the majority in Labuan simply does not favour a PAS candidate.
Notice how in Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur in the 12th GE, of the 11 parliamentary seats there, PAS only contested and won in only 1 seat, that is, Titiwangsa?
Might this have anything to do, however slight, with the lifestyle of a large number of KLites, including those who profess Islam as their faith who, then, at least, might have been more ready to dump BN if the alternative was a non-PAS candidate?
The locals I spoke to in Labuan feel that given local sentiment, a non-PAS Malay candidate has a better chance of displacing UMNO / BN come the next elections.
Specifically, they have stated a preference for a Malay candidate from PKR.
The DAP, PKR and SAPP members and leaders I spoke to share this view, with one proviso.
PKR in Labuan, they tell me, is split into 2 factions.
Unless the PKR top leadership can get the 2 factions to settle their differences, picking a PKR candidate from either faction, assuming PAS makes way, risks internal sabotage from the other faction.
I am told that Sabah PKR chief, Tamrin Jailani, who I met in Labuan on 22nd February, has been asked by the local Labuan Pakatan leaders to intervene and resolve the dispute between the 2 factions in PKR Labuan.
DAP, PKR and SAPP members and leaders in Labuan that I have met have told me that they are confident that if PAS will make way and PKR resolve their internal differences and offer a solid candidate, Labuan can be ABUed.
PAS?
PKR?
Can we work together to ABUkan Labuan?
p.s.nathan
March 7, 2012
Hi Bro. Haris, Your strategy appears to be moving in the Right direction, and I hope that the other parties relise that your proposal is the best way to wrest that Parliamentary seat.
ps.
Remie
March 7, 2012
Independent candidate Lau Seng Kiat appears to be the better choice than PAS or PKR. Would STAR or SAPP invite him to the fold?
Further, why is there no separate % for non-Muslim Bumis? 25.2% plus 35.6% is >60% of the voting demographics.
Prlabuan
March 7, 2012
Dream on lah remie!
Lau seng Kiat huh? He has become a laughing stock in Labuan lah. In fact, he is the mastermind in splitting PKR Labuan into 2 factions. Wake up lah weh!
Piqued
March 7, 2012
In both the 2004 and 2008 GE, BN garnered not less than 10k votes. The non BN votes totalled around 3k in both.
Labuan like Putrajaya has mostly federal government employees and federal government dependent businesses.
BN will carry Labuan and Putrajaya, even if the opposition is united.
Reality sucks .
Piqued,
I can’t say more here, but there are several local issues which, if articulated well with the locals, will give the opposition a chance of making a break through.
Don’t try, don’t know
Middle path
March 7, 2012
I hope all parties will let go their pride,ego and greed to form as one to take on BN.
There is nothing better,
sampalee
March 7, 2012
PR must know what the Labuan voters want and make a declaration to fullfill their hope.Judging from the way pr goes about fullfilling the people declaration in the states they are now controlling,chances are they will stick to bn.
308 was a chance given to pr to live up to their promises.A repeat vote will greatly depend on how effective the various promises are fullfilled.Talk is cheap,so is empty promises.I have attended many victory dinner of pr and all the successful party claim their success was due to thier dedication to long years of struggle.Hardly anyone gave credit to bersih 1 and hindraf and the windfall that Tuhan provide.In short they took the victory as solely their effort over the years when many are first timer.It is like a man striking a lottery,got rich and claim his is a good businessman. These are the minds of pr candidates
Like BN,they do not believe God exist and all have always been his will .On this alone,I can only support pas as they gave credit to Tuhan.
voter
March 7, 2012
if pkr or dap have the jentera, i dont think PAS will have problem to let go labuan.even to have full set of PACA pun diaorg tiada, kenapa tak percaya? cuba tanya
prlabuan
March 7, 2012
wonder, what happened to your jentera in the last three elections huh? Rosak kah?
JT Elias
March 7, 2012
The 2 factions in PKR Labuan & PAS are lobying hard and if this cannot be resolved BN will carry Labuan.
shakuntala
March 8, 2012
Wow, the time is so near to GE13 and parties still cannot agree, they keep on agreeing, to disagree. UMNO will make good mileage out of this.
This is frightening and does not foster confidence in the voters.
By now, after so much trial and error, the People ought to say, ” Advance ABU……..zero UMNO” and get on with working together to find reasonable solutions
Why not be more sensible and learn to give the people what they want. If Labuanites do not want PAS, then PAS should take the hint and move over to give the party candidate more in tune with the wishes of the Labuanites
The important element in any election ought to be giving the people what they want.
Makchik
March 9, 2012
You wish, you dream but it’s not gonna happen.
alia
March 9, 2012
Dream on PR. No way you can take out BN-UMnO in Labuan. The GE13 is so near and yet the opposition is still ununited. Maybe greed and ego play a part. Nobody wants to give way but thinks self is the best. Well it will take a lot of effort, unity and work to win this labuan seat.
else stop dreaming come end of 13GE, it is still BN.
shakuntala
March 10, 2012
When the Rakyat are as vibrant and as reform-minded as they have shown themselves to be, everything else becomes unimportant, RPK, least of all….so why should we bother about Haris talking to him.
We need to concentrate on RARA, because it relates to our future well-being and that of our children and theirs.
We should not focus on personality politics. That has been the evil in this country…..for such a long time, what a waste of energy.
Why not wait to see what the SIA has to offer us…..and how we can participate to bring back this country to its former status as a truly independant and democratic nation which respects the dignity of everyone of its children, whether rich or poor…us. the anak2 bangsa Malaysia.
shakuntala
March 10, 2012
Dear Machik
I will wish and dream till I am able to do so, for it is in dreams that we find meaning and purpose to life.
Did you not ever, have a dream? Did you not ever feel the wonder, like a child, when you achieved the impossible. And you started out first, having a dream.
. It is possible and beautiful, when you have a dream.
“All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all”.