(From left) Saratok candidates Ali, Giendam, and Ibil pose during a photo call.
GABUNGAN Parti Sarawak (GPS) is fielding polls debutant Giendam Jonathan Tait in Saratok against Perikatan Nasional (PN) seasoned incumbent Datuk Ali Biju in a tussle that could have been averted.
The seat is allocated to Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) under the GPS seats distribution arrangement.
Ali won the seat under Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in the 2018 general election defeating GPS candidate Subeng Mula by 989 votes.
The Saratok parliamentarian was also the assemblyman for Krian, a state seat within the Saratok constituency, having won the seat under PKR in the 2011 and 2016 state elections.
After the Sheraton Move which spelt the end of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government after just 22 months, Ali left PKR to join Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
In the last state election in 2021, Ali was compelled to withdraw from defending his seat after submitting his nomination paper, upon the advice of Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin’s move was to preserve the good relationship between the state government and the federal government.
His withdrawal paved the way for PDP’s Friday Belik to win the election.
Ali not only withdrew from the race, but he also urged the voters to support Friday against his remaining opponents Musa Dinggat of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Danny Kuan of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK).
Ali’s sacrifice came with a caveat as he expected GPS to reciprocate his goodwill by not fielding a candidate against him in GE15.
However, GPS decided to contest in all 31 parliamentary seats in the state in GE15, thus acceding to Ali’s demand was out of question.
As a result, GPS found itself in an awkward position in GE15 as Ali had lived up to his end of the bargain and the state ruling coalition was expected to return the favour.
To get out of the dilemma, GPS came up with what would have been a perfect solution by inviting him to join PDP and stand as a GPS candidate.
However, Ali refused to leave Bersatu despite several attempts by PDP president Dato Sri Tiong King Sing to persuade him to switch to his party.
With the election just round the corner, Tiong had to act fast and announced on Sept 19 that his party will field Giendam, a chemical engineer with an MBA from Australia, in Saratok to give him more time to go to the ground to meet the electorate.
Giendam will have his work cut out in trying to unseat the incumbent who had proved to be PDP’s nemesis in all the previous elections.
Besides losing Saratok to Ali in GE14, PDP also lost the Krian seat to him in the 2011 State Election and also in 2016 when he successfully defended the seat.
As a debutant in the polls, Giendam has a lot of catching up in introducing himself to voters, while Ali with his well-oiled team running his service centres has established a strong presence among the voters in the constituency.
Reports from the ground said Giendam had been going to ground even before he was confirmed by his party as the candidate for Saratok.
Indeed, he does not have a moment to waste as in Krian alone, there are more than 200 longhouses to visit.
Although support from Iban voters who make up 57 per cent of the electorate is vital to secure the Saratok seat, Malay votes in the other two state seats, Kabong and Kalaka, in the Saratok parliamentary constituency will be the deciding factor if there is no clear winner in the Iban heartland of Krian.
Malay voters account for 36 per cent of the total votes, with Chinese and others making up 7 per cent.
While he has the party machinery, extended family, friends and associates to help him reach out to voters in Krian, Giendam will have his work cut out in introducing himself to the electorate in Kalaka and Kabong where he is almost unknown.
Ali on the hand has established a close rapport with the people in these areas through his service centres over the years.
Giendam will have to rely heavily on Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) assemblymen Mohd Chee Kadir in Kabong and Mohamad Duri in Kalaka in moving on the ground.
PBB holds the key to the outcome of the battle for Saratok as its influence and presence in the constituency is more extensive than any of the GPS component parties.
Even in Krian, PBB will play a big role in securing Saratok for GPS as although Friday is the state assemblyman there, PBB has a strong presence in the constituency with its 3,000 members in its Krian branch.
Its recent AGM was attended by 250 delegations from its 18 units.
It is still early days in the short campaign period but feedback from the ground augurs well for PDP to reclaim the seat as both the Kalaka and Kabong assemblymen have been actively helping Giendam in getting to know the voters in their constituencies.
In Krian, it was reported that the PDP candidate had made significant inroads among Ali’s diehard supporters, and is working closely with PBB members in his campaign.
Ali is a formidable opponent and Giendam will have to rely on the backing of all the GPS component parties to unseat him.
It is a daunting task for anyone making his maiden foray in Saratok but with the might of the GPS election machinery behind him, Giendam stands a good chance of upsetting Ali in Saratok.
Francis Chan is the former executive editor of The Borneo Post
from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3E5WGO3
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