Let the Sarawak state election be a Sarawak affair

Affendi Jeman says politicians from both sides of the divide, who do not have Sarawak's interests at heart, should not be allowed to campaign.

Federal leaders, including Prime Minister Najib Razak and his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should not be allowed to campaign in the upcoming Sarawak state election, a Sarawak leader said today.

Affendi Jeman, the pro-tem chairman of Parti Agenda Rakyat Bumiputera Sarawak (ARBS) was quoted saying in the Borneo Post Online that the on-going campaign season should be an affair free from intervention of political leaders who were “not fully supportive of the fight for Sarawak’s rights.”

This, Affendi said, applied to leaders from both sides of the political divide, who had shown a lack of commitment towards issues affecting the state at the federal level.

“Umno does not exist nor has any role in Sarawak’s political landscape. Any political party that is non-existent or not registered in Sarawak should not be involved in the state’s political affairs.

“This is a state election for Sarawak and the restriction should also be extended to BN (Barisan Nasional) component parties that are not from Sarawak, such as MCA, Gerakan and MIC.

“This election should be a Sarawak affair and outside involvement should not be allowed in all aspects,” Affendi said, challenging Sarawak BN to avoid using government machinery during their election campaign.

He said that since the state government had been dissolved, the only machinery that should be used for campaigning were the ones belonging to the Election Commission (EC), or that of security and safety agencies.

Affendi also called for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to monitor the state election.