LAND OF THE FROGS

Hantu Laut

When Agnes Keith wrote the book "Land Below The Wind" in 1939, she won $5000 award for winning the Atlantic Non-Fiction Prize Book.

Agnes Rothery of the New York Herald Tribune, in her book review said " For every one who reads "Land Below The Wind" (Borneo) will never again be a mere name in a nursery rhyme --
whose climate where 'the warm humid air seems to promote longevity in germs'......

It was Sabah (British North Borneo then) that she referred to in her book, where she and her husband worked and stayed for almost twenty years.

Now Sabah would be better known as the 'Land Of The Frogs'. The 'Politicians For Sale' campaign has started.The three days cooling off period will surely see some candidates dropping out and giving undivided support to the BN and money in their pockets.

PKR suffered a hiccup yesterday when the political secretary to PKR Vice President Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan resigned from the party with immediate effect.He said he has lost trust in the party's Federal and State leadership adding that more leaders and members would follow suit.He accused the leadership as untrustworthy. He further said the BN is the best choice and the only one that can bring development to the state.

Frogs abound every time there is general election in Sabah.Some will join as independents hoping to be bought by the ruling party. The price ranges from as low as RM20,000. for the 'kucing kurap' to a few hundred thousands for potential 'giant killer'. Those sure of winning will wait until after the election and offer themselves for sale if the ruling party gets less than two-third majority.

It does make economic sense for the ruling party to buy off opponents.It would worked out to be much cheaper than having to fight them and spend millions on the campaign trail.

During the Mustapha's era it was not money that stopped opposition candidates from contesting in an election, it was gangsterism. A gang of people would waylaid the candidate on his way to the nomination centre, beat him up and detained him until the nomination centre closed. It was even cheaper and most of the candidates would be unchallenged.That's why during USNO time almost all seats were uncontested.

The state seat of Pensiangan that go uncontested has now created a furor. PKR claimed there was a conspiracy involving the EC and the Returning Officer of the Nomination Centre.A police report was lodged and PKR has filed an election petition to declare the result null and void.

The Election Commission's cooling off period is the most viable project for the buying and selling of politicians. It was probably put in place for that purpose.