To many of the rural voters in Sarawak, RM20 is a lot of money. They are just too poor. The small amount actually means more than a promise of a better life.

Even when bulldozers entered their land and destroyed their farms and ancestral graves, all they could do was to get hurt and angry. When money is dangled in front of them during an election, they are unable to resist the temptation.

Yet, when 45-year-old lawyer Dominique Ng expected another clean sweep by the Barisan Nasional in the recent Sarawak state election, he not only won the Padungan seat, but also became part of a political tsunami that knocked seasoned rulers off their comfortable seats.

"This election had shocked us as much as the ruling parties. I won't say I fear the next election, I have lost so many times. For the next round, we have to expect an even greater onslaught from the BN," he said in an interview with malaysiakini yesterday.

The only Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate to have won in the elections, which saw the BN coalition losing nine seats, Ng claimed that it was the people's desire for political change and denied that it was totally a DAP's success.

"Never in our history has there been such a decisive switch, especially of the Chinese urban electorate," he said, adding that the voters hid their emotions until the very last moment.

The people deceived both the opposition and BN. What is the future of Sarawak politics?

Below are excerpts of the Q&A with the newly elected state assemblyperson for Padungan.

Malaysiakini: This is the first time Supp has suffered such a humiliating defeat?

Ng: I believe this is the first time. In recent memory, the only time the opposition had a break-through was in the 1996 state election when three DAP (candidates) went in. That was after four consecutive total defeats at state elections. Then (former Bandar Kuching MP) Sim Kwang Yang retired. The opposition gave up and lost all hope. Then the people reacted [...] when we gave up, they came back to support us.

Some analysts say the Chinese voters were not really supporting the opposition, but only dissatisfied with the BN.

It is a combination of everything. I won't say it is a very confident support for the opposition but primarily a protest against the BN. The funny thing is that we only see a breakthrough in Supp areas. The defeat of Supp sec-gen Sim Kheng Hui was the most striking. He had always won with more than 5,000 votes-majority. He has tremendous grassroots, 40 years long and it penetrates all across. This hold is impregnable, and yet he fell, to a younger first timer. That shocked everybody.

What kind of improvement does the opposition need?

The next round will be an even more interesting battle. This time we managed to surprise them because they were caught with their pants down. They were so complacent. And there was internal fighting. Any political party when it grows too big and the leadership stays too long, there's an expiry date. If there's no change, you're gone.

So that's what happened to Supp...

They did not rejuvenate. It's time for them to rejuvenate. Of course I don't want them to rejuvenate. There's too much vested interest. Sim Kheng Hui is not going too retire, Lily Yong is not going to retire. And now the young 'cubs' will be coming out, and Supp is always quite merciless against its defeated candidates, they will never get a second chance. But this time around I think there is going to be a lot of differences. Of course, we hope their internal conflict will continue, but then again we also have our problems which will assist them.

Some people have criticised you for standing on three different tickets including being an independent, why did you make such decisions?

I have never jumped to the BN. I have always been an opposition man. When I was in DAP, my votes were very consistently improving, and when I chose to become independent, I actually beat DAP's Chong Chieng Jen in the 2001 elections but still lost to the BN candidate. The reason I had to contest as an independent was because there were internal conflicts within the DAP itself. In politics, nothing is forever. In a political struggle, the only thing consistent is change.

So what did you stand for?

I stood for something I always believed in the moment I joined DAP, and it has remained the same. That is to achieve a society that is just and fair and everybody has a share in it, especially in a multiracial society like ours. I subscribe very strongly to DAP's concept 'Malaysian Malaysia'. Even PKR's concept of social justice is not very far. The only thing we differ is the routes. The direction and objectives are the same. Just different routes.

Do you foresee any difficult relationship among the opposition parties?

It has always been difficult. It's a challenge. I think we are built of far better materials, we should be able to stand all these. And I think I am very proud to say that it has been 20 years of political struggle, and today I am a YB because I have stuck consistently to what I believe.

Are rumours about you hesitating to use PKR ticket true?

I can tell you those rumours are correct. It is not because I do not believe in PKR's stance, but rather that I can't imagine that I have to go through a difficult time with people having difficulties accepting a symbol. If I had stood as a DAP candidate, I would have probably won with a bigger majority. The symbol itself is something that makes people hesitate. In politics, the winner takes everything, and the loser will end up with nothing. For sure I am going to stand under the symbol, but at the end of the day, the reason I chose the party is that I have the party and use the symbol eventually.

Do you think you have been given a fair treatment by the press?

The Chinese press has always been hampered by a lot of restrictions. This time they relaxed a bit more than the others. The DAP are the darlings of the opposition, so Sin Chew gave them as much publicity as possible and at the same time daily condemning me. But they gave me good coverage. Sin Chew has one of the highest circulation and I cannot doubt their influence, especially in Kuching.

Is there any plan to overhaul Kuching?

Now they are trying to reverse things against us by going around saying that we are going to watch now and see what you can do with your victory. But they must also remember their responsibility. Supp is still in the government. We will be certainly be a more effective force to check government corruption.