Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang has lauded Sarawakians for giving their Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud an 'appropriate' birthday present.

He said voters in the state, especially in the nine constituencies where opposition candidates were elected, had firmly rejected Taib's "third world' demand for a Soviet-style one party legislature".

"The message the voters want to convey on Taib's 70th birthday is that he should change his lifestyle and get a first-class mentality," he added in a statement.

This is because, he said, the standard response of Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders to public complaints about the increase in fuel prices is that people should 'change their lifestyle'.

"Taib should be the first to change lifestyle as a role model in Sarawak - and this change must be immediately visible and tangible to all Sarawakians. Then all state ministers should follow suit," he added.

Of the nine seats that fell to the opposition in the May 20 state elections, DAP took six, following a swing of Chinese votes .

Although BN took 62 out of the 71 seats, the results illustrated the coalition's worst ever performance.

Adverse reflection

Meanwhile, Lim said acquiring a 'first class mentality' is the key thrust of the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) in order to pave the way for Malaysia to become a first-world developed nation.

But before we can acquire this first class mentality, we must become a normal democracy and normal country, he noted.

"It is an adverse reflection of how far we are from a normal democracy that the underlying theme of the BN campaign in Sarawak, was wether the opposition should be wiped out and Taib be rewarded for his 25-year tenure with a special birthday present of a clean sweep," he added.

"In the first world developed countries which we aspire to join in 14 years time under Vision 2020, if the leader of the ruling party asks the electorate to give him a special birthday present with a total knock-out of opposition candidates, he would be regarded as a pseudo-democrat, a threat to democracy, a joker if not 'crazy'," he said.

The veteran politician said the Sarawak election result showed that democracy in Malaysia has started the painful process of growing up.

He also called on Taib, who is the state BN chief, to work with the opposition candidates elected to the state assembly.