The man who has been at the helm of Malaysia's eastern state of Sarawak for more than three decades is deeply loved in rural areas despite garnering notoriety and hatred in urban centres for allegations of corruption, embezzlement and the pillaging of the rich resources of his state.
It's a classic case of love-him-or-hate-him when it comes to Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, the country's longest-serving chief minister, as he and his government heads into state elections Saturday. "We have had enough of Taib Mahmud and his family members to say the least," said David Ngui, a video producer from Miri town.
While Ngui's sentiments are likely to be shared by most educated urban folks in Malaysia's largest state, support continued unabated in jungle settlements for the man the natives dub the "White Rajah" in reference to his shock of white hair and the white rajahs of Britain's Brooke family that used to rule Sarawak.
In the days leading up to the parliamentary elections, Taib's presence while campaigning in remote jungle villages has been greeted with wild support and cheering fit for a hero with many pledging their loyalty to him and the ruling National Front coalition, which he represents.
But in the cities and towns, especially in the capital, Kuching, the feeling toward Taib and his large family of wealthy cousins, siblings and children ranges from animosity to outrage. "The legacy that Taib leaves is the plunder of Sarawak's centuries-old forests, the displacement of tens of thousands of natives and the pillage of Sarawak's richest resources," said Kua Kia Soong, director of the human rights group Suaram.
Kua, who is among a group of activists who have been denied entry into Sarawak after their criticism of Taib's government, has repeatedly called for an investigation into the chief minister's wealth. Trained as a lawyer, Taib, together with his late wife, Laila, are said to have owned lavish properties and businesses spanning the globe.
Despite his denials of wrongdoing, allegations of abuse of power and corruption continued to dog him, specifically on the issue of assignment of land and timber concessions to family members and political allies in the state on Borneo. Rumours and reports of government-approved logging and deforestation in the state, which is home to some of the most endangered animal species and wildlife, began circulating in the 1980s.
The Bruno Manser Fund, an environmental group, and the online news site Sarawak Report have released numerous reports detailing Taib's and his family's involvement in the clearing of up to 90 percent of Sarawak's once-lush rainforests as well as his vast wealth.
Another scandal for Taib's government has been the Bakun hydroelectric dam, which involved the displacement of more than 10,000 people and the clearing of more than 700 square kilometres of forest - an area the size of neighbouring Singapore.
Despite fierce opposition from activists, work on the dam began in 1995, and officials have said it was likely to begin generating electricity in the middle of the year. Criticism of Taib's government is not confined to Malaysia. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called the destruction of rainforest in Sarawak and Borneo "the biggest environmental crime of our time."
"When you think of how much wealth Taib has, it's thanks to the plunder of Sarawak," Kua said. "And then you see how the indigenous people are still living without basic amenities like water and electricity," he said. "The feeling of outrage, it's just indescribable."
Even Prime Minister Najib Razak has appeared to acknowledge that Taib could well be a major liability in Saturday's polls, announcing early on that the chief minister had agreed to quit, but falling short of giving an actual resignation date.
Sarawak's elections are crucial as an indication of the outcome of national polls, which do not have to be called until 2013 but were widely believed to be called as early as this year. In the meantime, Taib, whom many believed has no serious intention of stepping down soon, has remained impervious to growing censure.
His confidence is obvious in winning the votes of rural voters, who are largely cut off from outside information and have been taken in by his wide smile and charismatic nature. But analysts said that while the ruling government was likely to win in Saturday's polls, they predicted a significant drop of support for Taib and Najib's government. Many urban Sarawak voters said they believe the White Rajah has long overstayed his welcome. "Taib is the object of hate among many people," Ngui said. "It's time for him to go for good."
Comments
Comments are closed.