gurunet: Sarawak polls on

KUCHING: Sarawak’s 10th state election is on. The Legislative Assembly will be dissolved tomorrow and Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud (pic) has committed himself to a timetable to hand over the chief ministership.

The Election Commission is expected to meet on Wednesday to decide on the nomination and polling dates.

The much-awaited announcements came after a 24-hour blitz by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Taib and other Barisan Nasional leaders here.

Taib nonchalantly announced the dissolution date after being asked by the media if he was going to make a “big announcement” as he had promised on Thursday.

“I have gone to see the Yang di-Pertua Negri and he has agreed to the dissolution. He has signed the order to the effect that the assembly will be dissolved on Monday, March 21,” the Chief Minister told a packed press conference at the Kuching International Airport yesterday.

At the same function, Taib also committed himself to a smooth transition of power to a new team and confirmed that he planned to hand over power “somewhere in the mid-term”.

He made this commitment when he said he would be contesting in the election. Taib, 74, will celebrate his 30th anniversary as chief minister on Saturday. He is the longest serving chief minister in Malaysia.

Asked if he would hand over to the new team at mid-term, he replied: “Yes, if possible that is my plan. It was my intention, since 2006, to step down. But it did not work then, so I postponed it.”

The state Barisan chairman had earlier in the day disclosed that he had found two potential successors with enough experience for the job within his party, PBB.

It is said the two possible successors are Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan and Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg. Tengah is the state’s Second Planning and Resource Management Minister, while Johari looks after the Housing and Urban Development portfolio.

Najib, reacting to Taib’s announcement, said he had “an understanding” with Taib on the date for him to step down.