Eventful year 2011, with increasing number of allegations against Taib Mahmud

The  2011 was an eventful year for Sarawak, with politics continuing to hog the limelight.
Topping the list is the April 16 state election in which the Opposition gave a better show.
For Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), it was better for its leaders and members to forget the year, hopefully expecting 2012 to be a better year.
Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) continued with its internal squabble which started after the 2009 triennial delegates conference.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Sarawak (PBB) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) continue to remain stable, but for how long?
Factions have been formed in PBB, now that its chief Abdul Taib Mahmud, wanted to step down midway of his current term. Factional leaders are consolidating their position, with their eyes on party presidency and the chief minister's post.
In the April 16 state election, PBB maintained a 100 per cent record when all its 35 candidates scored victories, out of the 71 seats in the State Legislative Assembly.
But not so for SUPP, the second biggest Barisan Nasional (BN) component party in Sarawak. The party was ousted in 13 out of of the 19 seats it contested.
Among the casualties were party president George Chan (Piasau), treasurer David Teng (Repok), Sibu Municipal Council chairman Tiong Thai King (Dudong) and Youth chief Sih Hua Tong (Batu Lintang).
Dr Chan, claiming full responsibility for his party's poor show, stepped down as the party president at the triennial general meeting early December.
The Opposition DAP won 12 seats, PKR three and an Independent, one.
Sarawak National Party and Parti Cinta Malaysia both suffered humilating defeats.
Things do not look good for SUPP, even after the TGM.
The Wong Soon Koh faction boycotted the TGM, claiming irregularities in the branch elections. The WSK faction had lodged reports with the Registrar of Societies on the alleged irregularities.
Peter Chin Fah Kui, the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, is the new party of SUPP, replacing Dr Chan.
Chin promised to transform and rejuvenate SUPP into a political force it once was.
Almost all the party top guns are behind Chin.
The internal squabble in SPDP was highlighted with the sacking of its former secretary-general Sylvester Entrie Muran, and the stripping of party posts of four other senior party members.
Entrie, a one-time tipped to be the next party president after William Mawan Ikom, was sacked for gross indiscipline while Dr Tiki Lafe, Peter Nansian, Rosey Yunus and Paulus Gumbang, were stripped of their positions in the party for failing to attend the party's supreme council meeting since 2009.
Other major issues highlighting 2011 were an increasing number of allegations of corruption against Taib Mahmud and his family members and the native customary rights (NCR) land.
Taib Mahmud, chief minister since 1981, was forced to issue a personal statement in the June sitting of the State Assembly to deny that he had a personal bank accounts in Switzerland.
Bruno Manser Fund has been compaigning relentlessly against Taib Mahmud and his family members for allegedly abusing his power to enrich him and his family members.
The campaign have been held in Germany, Switzerland, Canada and United Kingdom, asking these governments to conduct investigations into properties held by Taib Mahmud and his family members.
Sarawak Report, a whistleblower website, has written numerous articles on Taib Mahmud and his family members.
So far Taib Mahmud or members of his State Cabinet have been quiet on the series of allegations.
Taib Mahmud was furious when a reporter with a mainstream paper asked him to comment on a call by 17 non-governmental organisations from many countries, including Malaysia, for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC), Attorney-General's Chambers and the police, to arrest him and 13 members of his family.
We expect the allegations against Taib and his family members to continue in the incoming year and beyond.
As in the previous years, the year 2011 saw more NCR landowners bringing their cases to court in their effort to stop plantation companies from encroaching into their property.
The NCR landowners, mostly through lawyers Baru Bian and See Chee How, have been filing cases with the court. And in the cases that have been settled and decided in the High Court, the landowners have scored victories against the plantation companies, Pelita and state government.
A total of about 200 cases have been filed in court, not just through Baru Bian and See Chee How, but also other lawyers.
So, we should see more NCR land cases to be heard in court next year and more cases to be filed as well, since the state goverment is intent in opening up more land for oil palm plantations.
We see 2012 to remain as exciting as the year 2011.- Sematong Express