I refer to the article 'Muda lupa' syndrome in the longhouses .

How the BN operates, its machineries and resources are known. We can anticipate how it acts and reacts. This is why the opposing parties/candidates and their personnel must learn how to work smart. The BN will call for an election only after it is satisfied that its machineries are ready from the top to the bottom level.

Then it collects its election funds from the tycoons who were awarded provisional leases, logging licences, licences for planted forests and other cronies. These tycoons are the ones who had benefitted from their connections with the BN leadership and who are worried of losing their present and future businesses if there is a change of government.

You can observe that as the election campaign progresses towards polling day, these tycoons will send out bags of ringgit to constituencies which BN discovers are their 'black' or 'grey' areas. The money is used to buy the voters or to buy the opposing parties' supporters/key personnel in order to sabotage or jam their machineries. The money is also used to buy community leaders and other individuals in the longhouses or constituencies whom BN has assessed as having an influence among the voters.

Also during the campaign period, the BN is updated on a daily basis by the Information Department (via field/special officers in each district), by the Special Branch, by the military intelligence, Kemas and Rela agents. These briefs are assessments on the strength and weaknesses of BN candidates and opposition candidates, and the weak and strong areas of the opposing parties/candidates in each of the constituencies .

From these daily assessments, the BN will then identify their weak areas in their constituencies and deploy their machineries and resources or apply whatever 'dirty tricks' they have there. You can see that they will even quickly fly by helicopters to bring the money to these areas one day before polling and the voters change overnight. You will see that even religious leaders and elders, who should be able to resist bribes, changing allegiance overnight!

The moral of this story is don't ever expect our election to be free and fair. That is why parties and candidates challenging BN have to work smart. They have to do their homework thoroughly. Firstly, know your enemy very, very well. Secondly, strategise on how to operate with very little budget. Do not be complacent or overconfident even if things look favourable to you for it can be a BN deception to slow down your campaign activities while it deploys a last dirty trick.

The opposition coalition last Saturday obtained a very good number of votes in Sarawak even among the rural constituencies. It's a good start for the Barisan Bersatu Sarawak. The challenge now is for it to prepare itself for the future. BBS should start recruiting and training its young cadres throughout the state. Create and make allies with whomever who share its vision and mission. Form good leadership team at the state, divisional and branch levels. Then continue to organise visits, talks, seminars and training for the grassroots.

This can be done during the weekends and on public holidays. Resource persons for these programmes can be the YBs from BBS or the DAP or lawyers, doctors, academics, etc. These programmes are not expensive to run. If NGOs can hold them, why can't BBS?

The future is bright for BBS. Compared to the past, for example in 2001, you could see that for Saturday's polls, many credible people offered themselves to either stand as candidates or just to assist BBS.