Chong Chieng Jen's Blog

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'Adenan could predict polls outcome due to gerrymandering' Posted: 07 May 2016 09:25 PM PDT  Sarawak DAP lost five out of its 12 state seats it held before the just concluded state election, and the party blames this to, among others, the recent redelineation exercise by the Election Commission (EC). The redrawn electoral boundaries, said DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, were the reasons why Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem could predict BN's victory in the state polls. "It is because of such gerrymandering that Adenan could predict during the election campaign that the BN would win at least 70 of the 82 seats, which turned out finally to be 72," said Lim in a statement today. Lim cited political analyst Bridget Welsh, who had predicted the state poll's outcome yesterday, in how the EC had stacked the system in BN's favour through the redelineation exercise. Nevertheless, Lim stressed that the DAP is still committed to political change through the democratic process and it had to be prepared to face victories and defeats through the ballot box. "Despite our disappointments and setbacks, DAP will not be deflected from our objective to elect a full slate of Chinese, Dayak and Malay state assembly representatives in the Sarawak state assembly. "It has taken DAP Sarawak 18 long years to be elected to the Sarawak state assembly. The Sarawak DAP is prepared for the long haul together with like-minded Sarawakians to achieve the next target - to elect a new state government which will give top priority to the needs and rights of the people, instead of just to the cronies of the powers-that-be." 'Don't fear losing' The Gelang Patah MP reminded his party not to be afraid to lose in elections, saying its members must learn from the Sarawak state election to become stronger. "The test of a political movement dedicated to the highest ideals of justice, freedom and human empowerment, is the ability not to be crushed by a defeat, but to rise, to be stronger and more committed, to fight another day," he said. Lim, meanwhile, took the opportunity to congratulate Adenan for his re-election and appointment as Sarawak chief minister for the next five years as well as his promise of 'Adenan's Team and Adenan's Way' instead of 'Najib's Team and Najib's Way'. The DAP, in the 2011 Sarawak state election, had won in 12 out of 15 seats it contested, mostly in urban Chinese-majority areas. This time, however, it only managed to win seven of the 31 seats it contested. Apart from losing five seats it previously held, the party also lost all new seats it contested in. The Sarawak state polls, which concluded yesterday saw the BN capturing 72 out of the 82 state seats contested, achieving 87.8 percent of the state legislative assembly. - http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/340731

DAP has no regrets in trying to make inroads into rural heartland Posted: 07 May 2016 08:57 PM PDT Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen today stressed the party made the right decision in trying to make inroads into the state's rural heartland even though it fared poorly in the Sarawak election. "We will continue to penetrate the rural constituencies; we have made the correct decision. "DAP needs to get out of rural areas to become a multi-ethnic party. "How are we going to do that, (we need) to study and do introspection before deciding our strategy," he said at a press conference after the state poll results were announced. Apart from losing in all the rural seats it contested in, DAP also lost five out of the 12 urban seats it held. Chong acknowledged that DAP's poor showing at the election yesterday had set the party back to its 2006 strength in the state assembly. Back then, he said DAP only won six state seats, one less than what it won this round. Beside defending 12 of its Chinese-majority seats, DAP also contested in 17 Dayak-majority seats and one Malay-Melanau-majority seats. It lost all the bumiputera seats and five of its Chinese-majority seats, including Batu Kawah, Repok, Meradong, Dudong, and Piasau. It lost in Batu Kitang, an urban seat in Kuching where there was a clash with PKR. "We were set back to 2006; we won six seats then. We need to study and review how we are going to start again," he added. Low turnout rate of voters and money politics were among the reasons behind the party's defeat, Chong elaborated. Also present were elected Padungan state assemblyperson Wong King Wei and Pending state assemblyperson Violet Yong. - https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/340697

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