Since he took over as Sarawak’s fifth chief minister from Abdul Taib Mahmud, who helmed the state government for more than 33 years, Adenan Satem has been carrying the ‘political baggage’ that has been associated with the former chief minister.

Issues such as corruption, cronyism and abuse of power have been exploited by opposition parties in past elections, resulting in the BN, especially Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), losing the majority of Chinese support.

In the 2011 state election, for example, DAP and PKR almost wiped out SUPP in the 19 seats it contested. SUPP lost 13 seats, and won only one Chinese-majority seat - Senadin - and with a mere 58-vote majority.

The other five seats the party won – Bawang Assan, Bengoh, Engkilili, Simanggang and Opar – were because of strong support from the native voters.

In the 2013 parliamentary election, SUPP lost all the six Chinese-majority seats of Bandar Kuching, Stampin, Sarikei, Lanang, Sibu and Miri it defended. The party won only one seat, Serian, where Dayak voters make up more than 60 percent.

But Adenan, who celebrated his first anniversary as chief minister last Saturday, Feb 28, has been trying hard to divorce his administration from the previous one by trying to reduce corruption, nepotism, abuse of power and to curb illegal logging, which had incurred losses of up to RM100 million a year for the state.

Adenan signed a ‘Integrity Pledge’ and declared that none of his family members would be involved in getting state land from the government or government contracts. He also ‘forced’ his ministers, who had served with the Taib administration, to sign the pledge.

Aid for Chinese schools

At a Chinese New Year function in Kuching, Adenan announced a state government grant of RM4 million for 14 Chinese independent schools. The sum is RM1 million more than last year’s allocation.

Last Sunday, he handed over RM770,000 to five Chinese primary schools in Lundu,  which is within his constituency, and also pledged RM RM1 million to upgrade the SJK Chung Hua hall in Lundu apparently as part of his strategy to win over the hearts and minds of the Chinese community.

Adenan has been saying: “I am not the chief minister of the Malays only; I am not the chief minister of the Chinese only; I am not the chief minister of Iban only, or the Bidayuh or the Orang Ulu.

“I am the chief minister of all of you, including the opposition. And as long as I am the chief minister, the Chinese Community in Sarawak will not be labelled as ‘pendatang’ (immigrants).

“Let me tell you this, you are not immigrants. You are Malaysians, and you are Anak Sarawak,” Adenan said at the Chinese New Year celebration.

Following his ‘liberal’ policies, several Chinese associations and leaders had expressed support for Adenan, and some even hoped that he would enjoy good health and longevity so that he could lead Sarawak for many years.

The vice-chairperson of the Federation of Kuching and Samarahan Divisions of Chinese Associations in Sarawak, Richard Wee, said that whenever the Chinese leaders meet, they would discuss Adenan’s new policies.

“We are very happy with what he has done, and our leaders even hope for his good health and longevity if he were to continue with his new policies, which have won him the hearts of many,” Wee was quoted as saying.

Quarrels within BN the biggest headache

Though his policies towards the Chinese community have won praises all around, the question often raised is whether this so-called support would be converted into votes when the next state election is held, either this year or early next year.

Wee is not sure, saying this depended on whether the spat and the overlapping claims between two Chinese-based parties in the state BN – Sarawak United People’s Party and United People’s Party – could be resolved.

Many others interviewed have expressed similar reservations.

Even Adenan realises this and has made countless efforts to bring the two parties to a roundtable meeting. So far he has failed.

UPP was formed last year by SUPP leaders sacked from the party after a bitter power struggle. Among those expelled were four state assemblypersons, Wong Soon Koh (Bawang Assan), Ranum Mina (Opar), Jerip Susil (Bengoh) and Johnichal Rayong (Engkilili).

Despite their expulsions from SUPP, Wong has been retained as Local Government and Community Development Minister and Jerip as an assistant minister in Adenan’s cabinet.

Their retention as ministers has further complicated the issue. According to SUPP, they should have been dropped as ministers as they no longer represented SUPP and BN.

UPP, despite its claim that it is in BN, is yet to be admitted as a member of the Sarawak BN.

Wong and his colleagues have been going around telling the Chinese community that they are not only in BN, but also have told by Adenan that, as incumbents, they would be nominated to represent BN.

However, the SUPP leaders will not give up any of the 19 seats that have been allocated to their party.

SUPP president Sim Kui Hian said his party would defend the seats at all costs, saying: “While we support the leadership of Adenan, we cannot compromise on any attempt to admit UPP into BN or allocate any seat to it to contest under the BN banner.”

SUPP has even identified candidates to replace Wong in Bawang Assan, Jerip in Bengoh, Ranum in Opar and Rayong in Engkilili, and the party insists that it will use the SUPP-BN ticket as this is in  accordance with  the BN agreement and guidelines.

“If this is going to be the next political scenario, the Chinese votes for BN will be split. The Chinese who had voted for the opposition will not support BN even if the BN policies towards the Chinese community have changed dramatically,” said a retired politician who is familiar with the local Chinese politics.

Said Sarawak DAP chief and Kota Sentosa assemblyperson Chong Chieng Jen: “The Chinese voters are matured and are not easily influenced by so many ‘election goodies’ offered by Adenan.

“Don’t worry they will not return to BN because they know what type of policies are being implemented by the BN.”