Yah, the Linkages, how the heck do I get those off without busting stuff...
Squeeze the bottom of the yellowish fastener with some needlenose, then you should be able to push it through.
And for your first question, did you remove the old switch? Or was it just not there?
I'd imagine for replacing that thing you'd have the wires through that hole alread from when you pulled the old one out, but since that's not the case, I'd think you can get at those wires if you removed the kick panel.