Highlight Sarawak in the crosshairs

by **Cals** Mon 10 Feb 2014, 09:35

Highlight Sarawak in the crosshairs

Business & Markets 2014

Written by Jose Barrock of theedgemalaysia.com

Monday, 10 February 2014 09:27

KUALA LUMPUR: Views are divided as to how things will be in resource-rich Sarawak, post Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s 33-year tenure which is coming to an end.

Taib is not seen on golf courses, rubbing shoulders with businessmen and politicians — making it harder to read his moves, some in the inner circle said.

“He is a loner and swims for exercise, unlike in the West [Malaysia] where it is a norm to be seen [hobnobbing] with your close friends and associates on the [golf] course … it’s hard to read [Taib],” a veteran politician from Sarawak said of Taib recently.

Taib, set to take over as governor from a retiring Tun Salahuddin Abang Barieng who is stepping down on Feb 28, is slated to announce his successor tomorrow, and all eyes are on who will take over the reins of Sarawak.

The three likely candidates from Parti Persaka Bumiputera Bersatu — deputy president Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, vice-president Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and information chief Tan Sri Adenan Satem — have their fair share of strengths and support.

“Right now the talk is that Umno is strengthening its position in Sarawak, hence three Malays as his possible successor … this has not gone down very well with many in Sarawak,” said Sarawak businessman who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The rumour mill has it that Abang Johari is the favoured choice of Putrajaya, which could work against him in Sarawak, where Ibans who are largely Christians make up the largest chunk or some 30% of the state’s 2.4 million population.

As of 2010 the population breakdown of Sarawak in terms of religion was 44% Christian, 30% Muslim, 13.5% Buddhist and 6% Taoist, with the remainder being followers of other religions, or without religion.

Adenan, who is married to Taib’s sister Zainab, was at one time seen as the favoured successor. He had heart problems in 2012 and uses a pacemaker, sources said.

Awang Tengah, Taib’s ex protégé, does not seem to be Putrajaya’s preferred candidate for various reasons, sources in Sarawak said.

Having three possible successors being Malay is seen as Umno making inroads into the state.

Sarawakians are looking to keep Umno at bay for a whole host of reasons. Among them, Umno’s entry into Sabah in the 1990s has often been blamed for the dilution of the powers of the once dominant Kadazan, Dusun and Murut tribes.

Sarawakian natives could be looking to fend off similar attempts by Umno to wrest control of the state.

Meanwhile, Putrajaya’s fixation with Sarawak stems from the state being its stronghold. In the general election held in May last year, out of the 222 parliamentary seats, Barisan Nasional won 133 seats — out of which 25 were from Sarawak.

Sarawak has often been referred to as Barisan Nasional’s “fixed deposit” due to the certainty of the coalition winning big in the state.

Will things remain status quo post Taib?

Most Sarawakian businessmen The Edge Financial Daily spoke to were unsure of how things would fare in the state, or if Taib’s flagship, Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd, will still be the dominant force in the long term.

Another outfit in which Taib’s family has interests is diversified Naim Holdings Bhd, which has assets in businesses from construction to oil and gas.

“The rumour of Taib stepping down has been ongoing since late last year … I think Taib has his succession plan in place, so in the short term there may be some knee-jerk reaction but in the long term, things should remain status quo.

“You must understand that everything in terms of projects and contracts are cornered already, so there is little room (for the new chief minister) to manoeuvre …There are also other things to look at, not just in terms of economy and politics. Taib was known to be moderate when it comes to racial matters, but how will the new head be? We will have to wait and see,” a fund manager said when contacted.

A high ranking oil and gas official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Taib had weakened the position of the governor while he was the chief minister.

“When Taib was chief minister he made a lot of changes to the distribution of powers. The governor played a more ceremonial role, so he may have shot himself in the foot.”

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 10, 2014.