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Electoral issues are taking a back seat for now as potential candidates from both sides of the political camp fight for the right to be nominated for the upcoming Sarawak's state elections on Sept 27.

It is expected that the caretaker Barisan Nasional government will campaign on what they have done and achieved for Sarawak so far, and to dish out money for land acquisitions and grants for projects such as mosques and surau , as well as making promises for even more development.

This is clearly depicted in almost all local newspapers - English, Chinese and Malay - and special election programmes on radio and TV.

The opposition, who get a much lesser share of media attention, are left with little choice but to go down to the ground to explain their stand and highlight issues on abuses by the BN government led by caretaker Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

But lately, in the run-up to nomination day on Sept 18, local newspapers have been spotlighting not so much electoral issues but the problems of aspiring candidates who have been sidelined, both within the BN and the opposition Barisan Alternatif.

According to Sarawak DAP chief Richard Wong Ho Leng, his party and PAS do not talk to each other and the only reason for the contact between DAP and Keadilan is to try and resolve disputed seats.

Keadilan leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was in Sarawak a few days ago, has tried to patch up things between the two coalition partners - at the national, not the state level - but the only solution seems to be a compromise.

Talk is that the DAP will get to stand in Padungan, one of the hotly disputed state seats. But where will Keadilan's Ng Kim Ho, who is slated for the seat, go to then?

Nevertheless, a deal between the two parties only serves to show that they are aware that the best chance to win this time is to give way to each other in crucial urban areas such as in Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.

Problems aplenty

Within the Barisan Nasional, there are also problems aplenty over the choice of candidates.

For example in Engkilili, incumbent Toh Heng San of SUPP has claimed that a group within his own party is now collaborating with an opponent to dislodge him in this predominantly-Iban constituency.

Toh, a Teochew who grew up in Engkilili and speaks fluent Iban, has the support of the party's top leadership. This week he went public, accusing certain individuals in his own party of working to ensure that he is not re-elected.

SUPP secretary-general Sim Kheng Hui said he has been told as much by Toh and the party will decide soon on the action to be taken against the group working to bring Toh down. The rebels are likely to be sacked.

Meanwhile, in Meluan, a Sarawak National Party (Snap) constituency, the party leadership has decided to field their secretary-general Justine Jinggut in place of the incumbent, four-term winner Geman Itam.

Geman has refused to accept the party's decision and has vowed to contest as an independent.

Reports say that a group of Snap's state representatives are trying to lobby for Geman's reinstatement as the BN candidate and the question is how will Snap top leaders, especially its president James Wong, react if Justine Jinggut's candidacy is not endorsed in the end?

Even the predominantly Melanau constituency in the Lower Rejang Basin is faced with a similar problem, according to latest reports.

In Matu-Daro incumbent is Wahab Dollah, a wealthy bumiputra businessman and an assistant minister, is thought likely to be challenged by a PBB strongman in the area.

The name that is frequently mentioned as a possible challenger is Abang Ali Abang Rani, a former Public Service Commission member, who is said to be supported by a powerful figure in PBB. He is expected to be standing as an independent.

Disgruntled former aide

In northern Sarawak, another PBB constituency, the predominantly Orang Ulu seat of Telang Usan has long been embroiled over who is the best BN candidate to wrest control of the seat from Independent Kebing Wan.

Kebing, a Kayan and a former political secretary to caretaker CM Taib, won the seat on an independent ticket in the 1996 elections after he disagreed with the BN choice of Robert Laing, later appointed political aide to the chief minister.

Instead of choosing someone from the party division in Telang Usan, the party leadership made it known that their preference is a school headmaster, Lihan Jok. This has angered the potential candidates, especially Ding Seling, a former senator and a former senior education officer.

Ding has gone public to express his displeasure, saying that the party leadership should not blame the branch if their choice of candidate lost, as happened in the last state elections when Rober Laing lost to Kebing Wan.

The squabbling in Telang Usan could deny the BN the seat.

Another choice made by Snap, which does not seem on the surface to go down well with some people, is Limbang near the border with Brunei. Here, party president James Wong has stepped down in favour of his son Richard, 48, who will try to take over from where his father has left off.

But the candidacy is being opposed by the local branch of Taib's PBB and this could create a potential misunderstanding, not only between the local branches of the member component parties of BN but also among the top leadership.

At a Kota Samarahan gathering earlier this week, Taib said there will be 'some surprises' to the BN line-up, suggesting that some of the names that have been floated around as possible new faces may not be on the final list.

It looks like that until nomination day on Sept 18, Sarawakians will be left very much to a guessing game on the names of candidates rather than a debate on relevant issues.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini 's Kuching correspondent.