Secret polls reveal Taib will lose

FMT

Taib Mahmud who sees himself as Singapore's elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew, is seeking a 'seat warmer' until a son can assume his political seat.

KUALA LUMPUR: A secret sampling of 2,000 voters from each constituency has shown that Chief Minister Taib Mahmud will lose his seat and that the Barisan Nasional (BN) will crash out in Sarawak.
The results of the polls by Taib’s Information Department has terrified both Putrajaya and the ruling household in Petrajaya, Kuching.

According to a source, BN is deperately trying to keep the fact that Taib’s Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) would lose at least 14 of his 35 seats and that Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) would see its demise.

SUPP president George Chan “will lose 90% of its current votes, amounting to 10 out of its 12 seats”.

According to the source, these “seats are not in the grey areas” but in areas considered safe”.

The other two BN allies, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) led by James Masing and Sarawak Democratic Progressive Party (SPDP) helmed by William Mawan, will lose at least one seat each.

The BN team in Kuching is coming to terms with the fact that it may lose at least 33 seats out of the 71 and that the real outcome may be even worse.

Seat warmer

Online blog Sarawak Report summised that this was the reason for the unprecedented appearance of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin in Kuching last weekend.

According to the report, both leaders came to Kuching to force Taib to step down.

“I have seen them (the results) with my own eyes. In this election, Najib and Muhyiddin know that it is inevitable that Taib will lose.

“He is finished… the results from BN’s secret polls is devastating. Najib and Muhyiddin came down to tell Taib there is not going to to be anymore compromises,” said an insider.

The report also noted that Taib, 74, had apparently managed to negotiate terms with the KL leaders on the basis that he called for immediate  election and left office once a “transition period” had established a suitable successor.

The report confirms observations received by FMT that Taib is looking for a “seat warmer” until he can groom one of his sons.

“Taib sees himself as Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew and he is looking for a Goh (Chok Tong) to hold the seat for one of his two sons – Kota Samarahan MP Sulaiman Rahman and his older businessman Mahmud Abu Bekir.

“Sulaiman seems the likeliest to make a comeback but I will not discount Mahmud because Taib needs someone who can save and preserve his business empire first,” said the observer.

Most challenging

Sulaiman,a  political greenhorn, won the Kota Samarahan seat in the 2006 polls on his father’s influence. He was later appointed deputy tourism minister but quit the post suddenly in December 2009 after being unable (according to official word) to cope with his mother’s death earlier.

He has gone missing in action since and also has not been seen at his constituency.

“Taib already has a list of people who are willing to hold the fort for another two or three years. It’s now a matter of who he will trust more,” said the observer.

Meanwhile, Sarawak State Legislative Assembly officially dissolved yesterday paving the way for what has been touted to be Taib’s most challenging state polls ever.

Taib has left it to the Election Commission to decide on the dates for nomination and polling. Rumours are that nomination could be on April 9 and election a week later.

This will be Sarawak’s 10th state elelction. Taib, who came into politics in the 1970s, assumed the post of chief minister in 1981 and has held the seat for 30 years.

In the 2006 state election, BN won 62 of the 71 seats in the state assembly.

Analyst have predicted that Taib could lose more seats this time round.