Breaking his self-imposed silence on the Sarawak election, veteran newsman A Kadir Jasin said the taint of association with scandal-ridden Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak may yet mar Chief Minister Adenan Satem's "folk hero" status and the state BN's chances at winning big.
Kadir argued that while Adenan has the apparent support from many Sarawakians, who see a breath of fresh air in him after the doldrums and fatigue under former CM Abdul Taib Mahmud's 33-year rule, the caretaker CM is not totally immune from the negative effects wafting from Najib's peninsular-based scandals.
He likened Adenan's popularity to that of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, affectionately known as Pak Lah, who was granted a strong mandate in the 2004 general election polls after he took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled for 22 years.
The veteran editor noted that like Pak Lah then, Adenan now, or Tok Nan as he is fondly called by Sarawakians, is accorded almost folk hero status, which will likely translate into votes on Saturday for the many reforms he undertook, just as Abdullah did after he came into office.
"However, the way Adenan and Sarawak BN maintain and act in their relationship with the federal government, especially with the prime minister, can have a negative impact on Adenan's uniqueness and the party's chances for a big win.
"Najib is still poison to some Sarawak voters, especially in the cities and among those with higher education," Kadir (photo) wrote in his blog today.
He also posited that Adenan's folk hero status may be marred in his apparent endorsement of the barring of peninsular-based politicians from Sarawak, as this made him look "undemocratic" and as if he feared the challenge that the opposition may give the BN.
Such taints on Adenan's "good guy image" may even override the insulation from Najib's many national scandals that are now sidling into peninsular BN parties, as the largely local composition of Sarawak BN ensures that whatever scandals that rocked the peninsular would not snake their way into the state politics.
As such, Kadir argued, the state opposition parties, especially the DAP, have a reasonable chance to maintain their influence in cities and towns with large Chinese voters.
He admitted though that the failure of the nascent federal opposition pact Pakatan Harapan to showcase a true united front, bogged down by their tussle over seat negotiations as well, has left a negative imprint on voters and will affect their chances to make great strides in Saturday's election, like they did in 2011.
