Barisan Nasional (BN) has been given the mandate to rule the state, but not without suffering a blow, said opposition coalition Barisan Bersatu Sarawak (BBS) spokesperson Daniel Tajem.

In the 2001 polls, the ruling front won 60 out of the 62 seats. In last Saturday's state elections, BN lost nine seats to the opposition. This time around, 71 seats were up for grabs.

"The people have spoken and it is our duty as participants in the democratic process to accept their verdict. We must always bow to their wishes,"said Tajem.

Tajem, a former deputy chief minister and ex-PBDS president, had stood as a Snap candidate in Bukit Begunan but lost.

He also congratulated DAP for its 'remarkable performance'. "We applaud them for the gains they have made," he said.

DAP had won six seats at the expense of SUPP, the Chinese-based BN component party which saw its worst ever performance in the recently concluded polls.

Ironic feature

Tajem said a cursory glance at the results would support the conclusion that in places where there have been more physical development, as in Kuching, voters were reluctant to support BN.

"This ought to be an ironic feature to an administration that has trumpeted its virtue as a compelling exponent of the 'politics of development'.

"Where there has been most development there has been least endorsement for BN and where there been least development there has been the most endorsement," he added.

BBS said it felt that monetary inducements such as awarding 4,760 villages chiefs with monthly salaries backdated to March 1, 2006 totaling RM5.7 million made an impact on the voters' decision in the hinterlands.

"This is an unvarnished version of 'money politics' that has been the bane of inter-party politics in the last several years in Malaysia," said Tajem.

He said it would be a 'grave mistake' for BN to interpret the election results as an endorsement of their management of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.

He added that the NCR issue is the source of widespread disquiet among the affected populace and it is now the responsibility of the nine elected opposition members to espouse it in the state assembly.