'Super Sunday' sweeps through Sarawak....

Batu Kawah

The mercury in Sarawak rose a couple of notches on a usually quiet Sunday night as BN and Pakatan Rakyat squared off in a show of might in the several regions midway through the Sarawak campaign. Claws were bared in Kuching, in what was dubbed by the DAP as 'Super Sunday', as about 10,000 thronged their two rallies in the capital city.

The largest crowd was seen in Batu Kawah, where an estimated 8,000 people were on their feet for hours as they hung on every word uttered by Pakatan's superstar trio - DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

A mere mention of "sex video" by Anwar drew laughter from the crowd, which was still growing midway through the ceramah, causing traffic congestion for about five kilometres on Jalan Batu Kawah.

"I received a warning - now that the Customs officer has died, my DNA would be found there too," he told the audience, some of which had brought their own plastic chairs to the Batu Kawah bridge some 200 metres away to listen to the opposition speakers.

On a more serious note, the PKR leader brought up the contentious issue of the 31,500 Malay-language Bible, Al Kitab, which were impounded in Port Klang and Kuching, and later released but with a Home Ministry 'For Christianity' stamp.

While the issue, as well as the suit involving the use of the word 'Allah' by Catholic weekly the Herald was expected to be stirred up during the campaign in Sarawak where a significant number are Christian, the opposition has been largely quiet on the matter.

"Prophet Muhammad's father's name was Abdullah (meaning servant of Allah) and he was born 70 years before Muhammad's prophethood and the existence of Islam, so this is not an issue," he said.

Jokes,songs and a scramble for 1Malaysia goodies

The large crowd in Batu Kawah delivered a boost for first-time candidate Christina Chiew, who is said to be facing a tough battle against BN's Tan Jun Phoi.

Batu Kawah is less than an hour's drive from other DAP and PKR contested constituencies of Batu Lintang,Padungan and Pending, so it is uncertain if the crowd was mostly Batu Kawah constituents.

While Nik Aziz's brief speech was met with hushed reverence by the crowd, it was Lim who was the star of the night, enthralling the crowd with witty comments against the Sarawak government.

He also showed off his singing prowess, belting out twice during his lengthy speech - modifying popular songs by pop stars Jay Chou and the Wonder Girls and even getting the audience to sing back up and clapping in tune.

The Penang chief minister was also mobbed by the crowd the moment he stood off the tiny stage by supporters who wanted him to sign their Ubah soft toys - the popular DAP mascot for its Sarawak campaign.

Another event which did not feature superstar speakers in Tian Thou temple of Bintawa, Kuching, drew a commendable number of 2,000.

On the other side of Kuching, Andrew Ong reports that an almost riotous scene broke out at an event graced by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who touched down earlier tonight for his six-day Sarawak sojourn.

Many of the 2,000 people, including the elderly and children, who attended the 1Malaysia event in a stadium in South Kuching were scrambling on top of each other to grab the goodie bags, packed with Tupperware brand tumblers adorned with 1Malaysia stickers (photo below).

Najib's main target was Anwar, whom he accused as a liar, especially after his September 16 vow to take over the federal government in the wake of the 2008 general elections.

Choice words for Taib

Meanwhile in Sibu, Regina Lee reports that 300 people attended the SUPP's ceramah in the town centre, a rather high figure compared to the norm for the embattled BN component party.

Taking to the stage, Dudong candidate Tiong Thai King (right) hit out at DAP's incessant attacks on Abdul Taib, challenging them to face the CM in his own constituency of Balingian if they are 'capable'. "If they want to overthrow the man, they should just go there and campaign," he said.

The PKR ceramah was at the Nangka constituency, where party candidate Norisham Mohamed Ali got a helping hand from national leaders such as PKR Johor chief Chua Jui Meng, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution and Indera Mahkota MP Azan Ismail.

However, they could only attract a crowd of about 100 in a Chinese-populated spot on Jalan Delta, speaking outside a coffeeshop to diners.

All the same, Norisham did well even as a political novice, getting the slightly intoxicated beer-drinking crowd roaring with approval as he brands Taib "buaya putih" (white crocodile).

"(BN manifesto says that it) wants to make Sarawak the richest state by 2030. It's bulls**t! Bulls**t! (Taib) wants to make it rich for who? He wants to make it rich for himself. "I also don't want to call him 'rambut putih' (white haired - or pek moh, the opposition's nickname for Taib) anymore. He should be called buaya putih," he said.

Meanwhile, about 2km away, the crowd at the DAP ceramah swelled to 5,000, even without any party heavyweights. Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming, however, gave the crowd a treat with his fiery and entertaining oratory.

"Wah, this (complainant in Anwar's sodomy trial Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan) said in court that Anwar was polite before he played with his backside. He said he was very polite, saying that Anwar asked 'can I f**k you today'?" triggering laughter all around.

Then touching on the sex video allegations, Nga decried that the people were being made fools again.

"(Anwar) is a promising star when he is in Umno, but after he is fired from the party, (they say) he has (committed sodomy) with an old man (Anwar's former speechwriter Dr Munawar Ahmad Anees), and ... (then) with a young man. And now he is having sex with a prostitute. Can you imagine that?

"You think we are 'bo ta chek' (uneducated)?" he said.

Record donation numbers

Wong Teck Chi reports that Miri which saw crowds of thousands several nights ago was however quiet without any ceramah last night, while Guan Eng was the star again in Bintulu, without even having to show his face.

A video chronicling his journey in politics from his detention over allegations of statutory rape by then Malacca chief minister Rahim Thamby Chik to being Penang chief minsiter, was screened to about 500 people.

In Limbang, DAP collected a whopping RM26,759 from a 48-table dinner. Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang claimed that this was a record for the party in this northern town. Pasir Pinji assemblyperson Thomas Su said the dinner was attended by 500 people, while at least 100 more stood outside the hall to listen to the broadcast of speeches.

DAP is contesting Bukit Kota while PKR is contesting neighbouring Batu Danau, both of which are under the Limbang parliamentary seat. Sarawak will go to the polls on April 16.

source:malaysiakini

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cheers.