Thursday, March 24, 2011

How much is Snap worth to Umno/BN?

FMT Staff | March 24, 2011

Months into its rebranding activity, Sarawak Nasional Party (Snap) is being linked to Umno/Barisan Nasional.


KUCHING: A conspiracy by the federal level Barisan Nasional to topple Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and snatch victory in the upcoming state election is allegedly afoot.

In the centre of this conspiracy is Sarawak Nasional Party (Snap) which has been earmarked as the vehicle to oust Taib, break up the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (read PKR) pact and form a new BN coalition with another leader who would continue to represent West Malaysian interests.

Sources close to the BN in Kuala Lumpur disclosed that the top Umno leadership was shocked and angry at the outcome of the ‘secret polls’ commissioned by Taib’s Information Department, which had revealed that BN would lose its seats in the upcoming 10th state election.

Sources attributed the potential loss of BN seats to Taib’s refusal to step down despite his widely reported list of alleged abuse and atrocities against indigenous natives and Sarawak’s rainforest.

According to sources, former minister, the influential Leo Moggie, is the hand behind the plot.

Moggie, a powerful and influential Iban, is based in Kuala Lumpur. He is apparently in the midst of convincing iconic Dayak community leader-cum-diplomat Daniel Tajem to bring Snap into the Umno-BN fold.

Tajem is advisor to Snap.

He was also once with PKR and has a known fondness for Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian whom he has often described as a “moral and good leader of Sarawak Dayaks’.

Game plan

The conspiracy ‘deal’ according to online blog Sarawak Report involves federal BN pouring money into re-emerging Snap.

The ‘deal’ apparently was finalised during Prime Minister Najib Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin’s trip to Kuching last week.

Allegedly heading the negotiations was Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan. Maslan it seems had met with ‘key players’ from Snap.

The ‘game plan’ is to fortify Snap to split the opposition. It is also understood that the federal BN is ready to ditch Taib despite his announcement that he could step down mid-term after the state polls.

The report goes on to elaborate that the BN strategy is to buy over Snap and “cheat the electorate into thinking it is voting for the opposition.”

Quoting an informant, the report suggested that the plan was a “good way to get rid of Taib while keeping control of Sarawak.”

“Snap is now the safe deposit for the Umno/BN government. The federal government wants to use Snap as an entry into Sarawak.

“The bottom line is we want to take over Sarawak,” said the informant.

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