First he was a "political tourist" and now he is a "political reject". Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu has expanded his list of names for former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Speaking in the state legislative assembly yesterday, he was clearly in retaliatory mode over Anwar's recent criticism of the state government during several recent gatherings.

He did not respond directly to Anwar's jibe that he was a cicak (house lizard) after the first round of name calling, when Jabu had described Anwar as a "political tourist going on a longhouse picnic".

Instead, Jabu (right) described Anwar as someone who had been dumped by Umno and expelled by the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN).

Anwar, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor, was the featured speaker at a gathering last month at an Iban longhouse in Pantu, Sri Aman, while Dayak opposition leaders had attended other similar meetings.

Jabu, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president (Dayak wing), also said Dayaks must concentrate on Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's "politics of development"and not entertain "political has-beens ".

This was also a reference to former president of the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Daniel Tajem, State Reform Party (Star) leader Dr Patau Rubis, former parliamentary secretary Patrick Anek Uren , Snap president Edwin Dundang and his deputy Justine Jinggut.

'Personal agenda'

A reliable source told malaysiakini that Jabu's latest comments followed a new directive by Taib, the PBB and state BN chief, that "the BN must go all out to make sure that opposition candidates lose their deposit in the next state elections, whatever the cost".

Anwar, Dayak leaders of Snap and Star and the pro-tem Malaysian Dayak Congress have frequently spoken about corruption and abuse of power in Sarawak.

Patau said Jabu has avoided issues the opposition has raised and could only resort to name calling, which indicates that he has nothing left except a personal agenda.

In reality, he said the so-called 'politics of development' are "politics of exploitation" for the personal benefit of state BN leaders.

"He has no answer to the growing frustrations and growing anger of the people of Sarawak,"' Patau said, adding that this is not only a problem for the Dayaks but also Malays and Chinese.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.