MIRI: Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s loyalists believe "hidden hands" within the country are behind recent mounting pressure for their chief to relinquish his post with immediate effect.
They were eager to remove Taib as he was seen as a stumbling block to their agenda to make Sarawak "politically and economically a free for all state," according to Parti Pesaka Bumuputera Bersatu (PBB) leaders, who declined to specify if the hidden hands came from Kuching or Kuala Lumpur.
Responding to reports that Taib might serve a full five-year term in office instead of mid-term, political secretary to the Chief Minister Abdullah Saidol told The Star Online that the accusations hurled at Taib recently were an integrated effort to tarnish the image of his boss.
"They are trying to smear Taib’s image and create a situation so that he will be forced to step down immediately although technically he can stay on until the end of his term in 2016," said Abdullah, one of the younger group of PBB leaders fully supporting their party president.
"Sometimes, I cannot help but think that there are people in the higher echelon within the country trying to force the chief minister to retire.
"If they succeed, I won’t be surprised if they immediately moved to strengthen their interest in Sarawak because they see the CM as a major stumbling block preventing them from grabbing the state’s rich resources.
"It is not difficult to understand why now there is an integrated smear campaign against Taib," added Abdullah.
He said that Taib had consistently maintained long term policies to safeguard the interest of the state for the benefit of Sarawakians.
"Take for example our effort to manage our forest resources with a sustainable ITTO certified management. Yet, ridiculous accusations are being made and weird enough, some ignorant people believe these critics," he said.
Abdullah said even the state’s effort to develop palm oil plantation had become the target of critics.
"I believe they still think we are not capable of managing our state ourselves," he said.
He also took a jibe at the opposition, saying that DAP representatives were disuniting Sarawakians and were often rude to Taib who was elected legitimately and won overwhelmingly in the last election.
"We believe in maintaining peace and harmony in Sarawak so as to enable our development plans to be executed smoothly especially in rural areas.
"We reject any effort by any quarter to disunite us for their own political ambition and economic control," said Abdullah.
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