Sarawak DAP said it may have inadvertently received a 10-page facsimile detailing the organising of a massive government-funded carnival to be held on April 23, in Matang, Kuching.

Some 50,000 people, mostly participants from 16 BN state assembly service centres, are to attend the ‘Sejiwa Senada’ event, which will feature Chief Minister Adenan Satem and state governor Taib Mahmud.

However, at a press conference today, state DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen said the invite has not been extended to non-BN parties.

He said DAP has not been formally notified nor invited to any briefing for the event.

According to the fax, each BN state assembly service centre has been instructed to bring 2,500 people who will be paid RM12 each. With 16 state assembly service centres, that would amount to 40,000 people, who will be paid a total of RM480,000.

Chong claimed the documents proved BN was running an illegal campaign using public funds.

Campaigning is supposed to officially begin on April 25, which is the nomination day, while polling falls on May 7.

“It's apparent that it (Sejiwa Senada) is a political event because all the service centres are informed, except for the DAP areas, where they informed the SUPP (Sarawak United People’s Party) instead.

"This is clear evidence that a government event is organised, but only for benefit of the ruling political party. This is against the fundamental principles of democracy. It borders on illegality,” Chong said, claiming Adenan’s first campaign as chief minister is also “the dirtiest”.

He said he would lodge a police report and a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Elections Commission (EC).

"If the EC has any bit of independence, as they say, they would definitely investigate,” said Chong, who suspected it has been wrongly sent or somebody faxed it over on purpose.

When contacted today, Kuching Resident's Office public relations officer Wan Fauzi Wan Ismail, who was on the attendees list for the planning meeting on April 5, declined to comment.

Shukarmin Chasemon, a Kuching resident who had signed off the notice for a second meeting on Wednesday, which was supposedly held at the Resident’s Office in the Sarawak Islamic Complex in Kuching, could not be reached for comment.

Reps to give ‘fullest co-operation’

Launched on June 12, 2010, ‘ Sejiwa Senada ’ programmes are purportedly to improve the government administration delivery system in conjunction with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's Government Transformation Programme.

The faxed document was issued by the Kuching Resident's Office and directed at officials of 10 state departments and at party staff of state assembly service centres. The documents included a breakdown of the event that will see the participation of 2,270 and 3,555 officers from the state and federal governments respectively.

Other participants instructed to attend are 3,380 members from unnamed NGOs, 1,140 students from public universities, and 590 students from private colleges.

A notice to attend a second meeting to discuss the logistics of the event was also attached on the fax.

In the fax, the invite for Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, and Kota Sentosa state assemblies – all state seats held by DAP – have been diverted to the SUPP headquarters' service centre in Kuching.

Minutes of a meeting held on April 5 listed the attendance of deputy social resident Awang Yusup Awang Mostapha, who chaired the meeting; Semawi Mohamad, who represented the director of the state implementation and monitoring unit of the chief minister's office; Lundu district officer Hamsein Haji Atar; Amil Enn, who represented the director of the state protocol and public relations unit of the chief minister's office; Faridah Mohamad Othman of the Sarawak secretariat; Kuching district officer Suraijah Zainol, Bau district officer Mohammad Termimi Yunus, and Eshady Ahmad of the state youth and sports.

Also on the list for the April 5 meeting are representatives of BN services centres: Desmond Lo and Mok Chuang Ping of SUPP headquarters' service centre; and George Abraham, Michael Siten and Gines Ruwia of Sarawak People's Energy Party (Teras)'s service centre in Tasik Biru.

Others listed are Dominic Ritay Tasan, who represented SPDP's service centre in the Tasik Biru constituency; Abdul Razak Abdul Wahab (PBB, Tanjung Datu); Mohammad Hasfa Saleh (PBB, Pantai Damai); Mohd Daud Berehi (PBB, Demak Laut); Hamka Basri (PBB, Demak Laut); Sukri Morni (PBB, Semariang); Mohammad Sunggun (PBB, Samariang); Haji Ali Sarbini (PBB, Satok); Kuek Angok (PBB, Batu Kitang); and Shamsuddin Umai (PBB, Batu Kawah).

Item 2.3 of the minutes of the meeting noted a comment by Semawi, who said that based on his experience of such previous events on other divisions, each state assemblyperson had provided their "fullest co-operation" and had brought party supporters to attend. Semawi said organisers of previous events in Kapit and Sibu "achieved their targets."

Semawi, according to the minutes, said food and drinks would be provided for all participants and that RM12 would be disbursed to each participant. Transportation costs would also be borne by the organisers.

The minutes also listed a comment by Shamsuddin Umar, the representative of the PBB Batu Kawah service centre who said it may be hard to achieve the 2,500 target, mentioning a previous target of 5,000 people to attend a meet-the-people gathering with Adenan at the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching on March 28.

In it, he reportedly said only 3,000 people attended "although they have been paid RM15 each".