I refer to M alaysiakini report Sarawak bars another PKR leader .

Yet another leader of the opposition front was barred from entering the Hornbill State due to the instruction of the old but powerful chief minister of Sarawak who seems hellbent on not allowing opposition leaders from the peninsula spread their wings on his turf.

The long-standing chief minister needs to go to the polls earlier as state polls are due anytime soon. The chief minister knows that people are questioning his leadership qualities as he had helmed the state for more than 30 years without grooming younger leaders to replace him.

Due to his corrupt rule, the ground sentiment is against him and the wily chief minister will use all the government machineries at his disposal including immigration laws to blacklist his political opponents and bar them from entering his state.

One would think that Anwar Ibrahim’s will be next on the chief minister blacklist as the former deputy premier is a very popular among the fringes of society in Sarawak who are desperately looking for a savior to get out of the political rut they are in now.

If the people of Sarawak can emulate like their brethren in the peninsula, the ruling party in the Hornbill State will be history after the next state polls.

Only in this country are political personalities are not allowed to travel freely from one state to another to propagate their political philosophies and ideologies. The archaic law which allows the chief ministers’ of Sarawak and Sabah to blacklist political opponents from coming into their states is morally wrong and should be rescinded.

Surely after more than 51 years of independence one does not need permission from the powers- that-be to travel from one state to another. National integration would better be served if people were allowed to travel freely from one place to another without hindrances.

After nearly one year after the historical March 8 general election, when the ruling BN coalition lost big, one can sense that the present weak government would use all the tricks in the book to remain in power.

The power-grabbing incident in Perak where the Pakatan Rakyat state government was toppled and replaced by a BN one has caused the local voters to feel cheated and angry and this shameful grab for power will reverberate against BN when the next polls are held.

The two previous by-elections in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu had shown that the people have rejected BN hegemony in this country. However, one can see that the regime would rather ‘steal’ a state through political maneuvering rather than face voters in any by-election.

The coming two by-elections at Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau would be a crucial test for the incoming prime minister in taking over the leadership of the country once Pak Lah leaves office.

But it will be a tough call on Najib’s part to convince the voters in these two constituencies to elect his BN candidates as the ground sentiment is still against the present regime for their lack of ethics and integrity in helming the nation for the past fifty years.

Will Najib be a better premier rather than the previous one? Will the incoming premier roll back the democratic reforms initiated by Pak Lah to consolidate his power amidst the political turmoil that has beset our nation since the last polls? Will Najib’s be beholden to Dr Mahathir Mohamad and do his bidding when he takes office?

So many questions but only time will tell whether the incoming premier has what it takes to take us out of the political morass that our country is in now.

Najib’s need to act fast to reform the government for the better if he wants to remain in office after the next polls but one doesn’t think that the scandal-ridden prime minister has the necessary moral compass to change for the better.

Let us wait for the two by-elections results to come out before we pass judgment against the present regime. As for Sarawak, only a chief minister who is afraid of shadows will use archaic immigration laws to bar his political opponents from entering his state.

Times have changed and people with better education levels than their forefathers expect our leaders to have a better benchmarks in their leaderships skills. But somehow, the old politicians past eras still don’t want to step down and make way for new blood.

Voters unite. Let us ‘retire’ these incumbents from the august house, those who have overstayed their welcome. Our nation needs better leaders who are more ‘clean’ in order for our nation to move forward in these trying times when the common people are having a tough time eking out a living.

The people must use their votes wisely to kick out from office the old and tired faces who are morally and spiritually bankrupt if we want our nation to progress further.