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Masing warns of the enemy within

theborneopost.com. April 13, 2012, Friday

Datuk Joseph Salang

KUCHING: PRS president says Julau could fall to the opposition if elements within BN were allowed to undermine Salang.

Julau MP Datuk Joseph Salang is facing an unexpected enemy in defending his seat in the coming election – some members of Barisan Nasional component parties who are giving covert support to certain parties planning to contest in the constituency.

This was disclosed by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing who warned that Julau could fall to the opposition if the BN component parties did not refrain from supporting the independent candidate in the coming general election.

Masing admitted that he knew the group behind the campaign to unseat Salang but could not do anything about it.

“We have a serious threat in Julau from people within BN who want to go against Datuk Joseph Salang.

“We know it and we have reported it to the top BN leaders. Now we leave it to the BN top leadership to decide what to do with them,” Masing told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

He added that Salang was aware of what was going on the ground and had reported the matter to him.

“He (Salang) is very well aware of what is going on there because it’s the work of some people from the BN,” Masing reiterated.

Salang, is one of the vice-presidents in PRS which has been allocated six parliamentary seats.

The other seats are Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Kanowit, Hulu Rajang and Selangau.

Masing, who is a senior minister and Minister of Land Development, described the situation in Julau as very unhealthy.

“It’s not just smart politics but in fact it’s dirty politics,” he stressed.

On the possibility of former Julau MP Datuk Sng Chee Hua contesting in Julau in the coming election, Masing said he was not duly worried about it.

“Sng on his own is not a threat to the BN in Julau but if there were others from within the BN using him, then there will be a challenge for us.

“And I am also worried that if the political elite is using him for whatever purpose which I don’t know, that is very worrying,” Masing pointed out.

On the possibility that Sng might use his own resources to challenge PRS in the other five seats, Masing said he knew Sng’s moves well enough as they had known each other for the last 25 years.

“He always thinks that the Dayak voters are easy targets based on his past experience.

“But if he (Sng) is really sincere in supporting the BN, then why not help in the Chinese areas like helping SUPP,” said Masing.

On rumours of Sng trying to register a new political party, Masing said he was not surprised as that could be a way to ‘muddy’ the state’s political waters.

“What surprises me is why the political elite in Malaysia still tolerate him,” added Masing.