The rural seats targeted by Pakatan

Moving into the final 24 hours of the most competitive election campaign in Sarawak's history, BN is bracing itself for further setbacks in a state which its leaders have declared their ‘fixed deposit'.

From outset, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition was facing an uphill battle against BN component parties operating primarily on their ‘home ground'.

 It is especially a David versus Goliath scenario in the battle for bumiputera-majority seats in rural areas, in particular the strongholds of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).

While analysts predict the incumbent coalition is likely retain its two-thirds' majority, even its most confident proponents know that Taib's 30-year rule has led to enough discontent on the ground to inject a level of uncertainty on whether the BN can stop Pakatan from claiming the magic number of 24 seats.

But to deny  the BN its much coveted two-thirds's majority, Pakatan cannot rely on winning urban seats alone as more than 70 percent of the 71 seats up for grabs are in rural areas.

It will need to take more than a few rural constituencies and Pakatan has its best chances in the following seats:

Ba'Kelalan: PKR confident of bagging 60 percent of votes

Ba'Kelalan is the focus of BN's machinery because it is contested by Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian.

While PKR is confident of winning the seat, it is nevertheless worried about the switch in polling stations among many voters in this remote constituency. Its machinery is busy checking the electoral rolls to provide early warning to those affected.

Paul Bian, campaign manager of Baru, told Malaysiakini that they found more than half of the voters had been transferred to different polling stations. According to him, this is a move to confuse the electorate.

Leaflets claiming that Baru - a lawyer well-known for representing natives in NCR land legal cases against the government - had made huge profit from these cases, were found making their rounds in the constituency, lamented Paul.

He also claimed that vote-buying in Ba'Kelalan has vaulted to unprecedented levels, where each family is being offered between RM1,000 and RM2,000, the highest in the state.

Not surprisingly, the hilly rural constituency has drawn BN heavyweights including Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is scheduled to visit today.

However, Paul is confident that Baru, who is making his third attempt for the seat, will emerge victorious on Saturday.

"This time I don't think money politics will have much effect. We started very early to educate the voters. I think we can win over 60 percent of support," said Paul.

Belaga: BN pays compensation at eleventh hour

According to local activist and blogger Wing Miku, PRS president James Masing was scheduled to present a cheque and land titles to the tuai rumah of longhouses in Sungai Asap this morning as compensation for relocation.

Situated in the rural constituncy of Belaga, Sungai Asap is the resettlement area for natives affected by the construction of the Bakun dam.

However, he told Malaysiakini that the compensation is only half of the promised amount and the land titles will only be for 60 years, far short of what the natives had demanded.

It is not clear whether this last-minute move will impact Pakatan's chances in claiming the seat.

Beting Maro: PAS' hope for a breakthrough

PAS, which has never won any seat in Sarawak, is going for five seats. Of these five, it is Beting Maro where BN's winning margin is lowest - 895 votes. However, money politics remained the main concern for PAS in this Malay/Melanau-majority rural seat.

"There is an area where every family was given RM200. They also ask PAS for money in exchange for their support but I refused because this is corruption," said Jamaludin Ishak, a PAS campaigner there.

"I told them that today they give you RM200, tomorrow they will take land that is worth RM2 million. Do you want RM200 or defend your land?"

Jamaludin claimed that PAS is confident of securing the majority of the eight percent Iban voters, but the rest of the 90-percent Malay/Melanau voters are still being wooed by both PAS and the PBB.

Saribas: PKR sends SOS to Anwar

In Saribas, a Malay/Melanau-majority rural seat where PKR fell to the BN by a wafer-thin majority of 94 votes in the last polls, PKR campaigners accused the BN of dishing out cash and pigs to the Iban longhouses over the past few days.

"We hope to launch a counter-attack by inviting (PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim to give a speech on the last night. No need to be long, 30 minutes is enough (to swing votes)," said Saribas PKR campaign director Abang Kassim Abang Bujang.

He told Malaysiakini that the BN will be sending heavyweights - Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam and Agriculture Minister Noh Omar - to hustings in Saribas in the final round of campaigning.

Abang Kassim claimed that PKR is still leading in the race with 51 percent of support.

NCR land and Al Kitab issues key in Bidayuh belt

PKR is eyeing six Bidayuh-majority areas of Kedup, Tarat, Bengoh, Tebedu, Opar and Tasik Biru.

According to PKR Youth leader Lee Khai Loon, who has been camping out in Kedup, Tarat and Bengoh, the reception has been overwhelming compared to 2006 when the response was cold.

"We don't need to say anything. They come to us and tell us, ‘We are aware now, we want change'," he said, flagging native customary rights land, the Al Kitab and ‘Allah' issues as the hot-button topics which have raised political awareness within the community.

In more urban Tasik Biru and Opar, the Chinese minority there harbour strong anti-Taib sentiments, while the better educated Bidayuh are learning to accept the many goodies handed out by BN without feeling compelled to mark the dacing.

All the same, the next 24 hours will be crucial as talk of vote buying pervades the more rural sections of the Bidayuh community. The BN, however, has vehemently denied it was involved in vote-buying.

Pelagus, Telang Usan remain 'black' for BN

According to the local Chinese daily See Hua Daily, PRS president James Masing had claimed that the four dangerous seats for PRS, which was announced by him earlier, has now reduced to only one - Pelagus.

He accused Sarawak tycoon Sng Chee Hua, the father of partyless former Pelagus assemblyperson Larry Sng (right in photo), who has been dropped in this election, of assisting the opposition candidate in Pelagus.

Earlier, Masing was reported as saying that PRS did not need the Sngs to retain Pelagus, but later changed his tune and requested Larry to campaign for  the BN. Larry had ,however, snubbed his former president.

It is learnt PRS candidate Stanley Unja will face sabotage from supporters of Larry, who is a popular leader in Pelagus.

Meanwhile, Telang Usan is another BN ‘black' seat due to the proposed construction of the Baram dam, which would flood more than half of the longhouses along the Baram River.