SDNU tells Perkasa to stay out of Sarawak

KUCHING: Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) president Tan Sri William Mawan says Perkasa must stay clear of Sarawak.

Mawan gave the warning in the wake of a recent news report that Perkasa has plans to set up a chapter in Sarawak.

Perkasa is a radical Malay group made up of hardliners who are known to have been very vocal and uncompromising in their stance on Malay and Muslim rights.

Their public behaviour and antics have created unease and fear among the non-Malays and non-Muslims and could threaten national peace and harmony if left unchecked, Mawan added.

The recent call to burn the Alkitab (Bible) by Perkasa, led by its president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, rankled Christians and stoked religious tension in the nation.

Mawan is also Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president and Senior State Minister.

“Sarawak had been a happy melting pot of many ethnic groups for hundreds of years, where peace, harmony and tolerance are the State’s pride.

“Any attempt by groups from outside the state, especially those with racist and radical stance, to spread to the State and disrupt the existing harmony among the locals must be stopped from the outset,” he stressed.

Such a firm stance must be taken in the interest of the State and its people, stressed Mawan who also urged all Sarawakians from the different ethnic groups to continue to uphold tolerance and harmony in all spheres of activity as they had always done so without any problem.

Reiterating what Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had said earlier, Mawan pointed out that Sarawak had its own unique formula that was acceptable to all communities and had served as the basis for Sarawak’s success story. Hence, what has been inherited and proven to be acceptable to all in communities in Sarawak must remain status quo.

Taib made the remarks at the opening of PBB convention last month following the Court of Appeal ruling on the ban on the use of the word “ Allah” in the Catholic weekly magazine The Herald.

SDNU, an umbrella union for several Dayak-based associations, was registered on May 10 1955. Up to now SDNU alone have 103 registered branches and six pro tem branches and more than 45,000 members. - theborneopost

DAP sacks Pujut rep for insubordination

Fong Pau Teck

KUCHING: DAP Pujut assemblyman Fong Pau Teck has been sacked for insubordination and the one-term assemblyman has also been instructed by the party to give up his Pujut seat to pave way for a fresh by-election.

The party Disciplinary Committee chairman Tan Kok Wai issued a statement, announcing the party’s decision to expel Fong with immediate effect yesterday after the disciplinary committee reached an unanimous decision on his position in the party.

He said the decision was based on the fact that Fong had disobeyed the party’s directives and rules including refusal to pay the mandatory monthly contribution to the party and hence breaching party discipline on many occasions.

“Fong’s refusal to pay the mandatory monthly contribution to the party as well as the arrears owing to the party as a result of the increment in the allowance of Sarawak state assemblymen constitutes an act of insubordination to a party directive.

“The disciplinary committee finds that Fong’s insubordination has set a very bad precedent

which is unpardonable,” said Tan.

The statement pointed out that Fong had been directed to resign his seat in the Sarawak State Assembly as required by the party’s constitution.

However, according to the party’s constitution, Fong has 14 days to appeal in writing against the party’s decision from the date of his expulsion letter.

Fong, when contacted said he had no comment for the time being and did not answer to the question if he would appeal or pay up the outstanding mandatory monthly contribution to save his political career.

The 44-year-old assemblyman Pujut state assemblyman joined the party for about ten years and was elected in 2011 state election after defeating SUPP’s Andy Chia with a majority of 3,849.

Meanwhile, state DAP deputy chairman Chiew Chiu Sing said he agreed with the decision of the disciplinary committee to sack Fong as the latter had violated the party’s constitution.

On the possibility of Fong resigning from the Pujut constituency to give way to a by-election, Chiew believed that as a gentleman, Fong should do as directed by the party.

“He stood under DAP and he won because people were supporting DAP. As a gentleman, he should resign and give the seat back to DAP,” said the Kidurong assemblyman.- theborneopost

Four senior SUPP members defy show-cause letters

NOT RECOGNISED: Front row, from left – Chan, Sia, Wong and Hii show the show-cause letters and their statement to the press. Also seen are Wong (back row centre) and (from second left) Ranum, Dr Jerip and Dr Rayong. Photo by Tan Song Wei.

KUCHING: The four senior Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) members aligned to Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh’s group have refused to recognise the show-cause letters issued to them by the party’s disciplinary committee secretariat.

The letters dated Oct 30, 2013, requested that they – Wong Yew Nung, Chan Phan Chan, Thomas Hii King Hiong and Sia Jii Ming – explain to the secretariat why they should not be expelled from the party.

The letters accused the four of them from Sarikei and Meradong branches of going against Barisan Nasional (BN) in the May general election, and a resolution had been passed at the party’s central working committee (CWC) meeting on June 23 to take action against them.

In a joint statement, the group questioned the legitimacy of the party’s Disciplinary Committee Secretariat, saying the committee was appointed by an illegitimate CWC and an equally illegitimate Central Committee (CC), both

of which owed their existence to the party’s triennial delegates conference (TDC) on Dec 10, 2011 that was marred by irregularities.

The group believed the CWC had no authority to sack members considering that the Registrar of Societies (ROS) was still investigating all the irregularities.

“As you are well aware, the complaints pertaining to the TDC are now pending a decision from the ROS. In the meantime, the registrar had gone on record to state that the impugned office-bearers of SUPP shall only carry out ordinary day-to-day activities.

“Your ill-disguised attempt to get rid of supporters of Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh and the group of YBs aligned to him is definitely not day-to-day activities. ROS has made it clear that the status quo is to be maintained and you are acting in flagrant disregard of the ROS instruction to impugned office-bearers.

“As such, your so-called letters to show cause are null and void,” the group said in a statement handed out to reporters during a press conference held at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel here yesterday.

Among those present were SUPP elected representatives Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (Bengoh), Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa (Engkilili) and Ranum Mina (Opar). Wong who is also Local Government and Community Development Minister and Bawang Assan assemblyman chaired the conference.

In addition, the group questioned the length of time the committee took to investigate the allegations made against them.

“Having regard to the ROS decision on this matter that the status quo is to be maintained until the ROS renders its decision, we will not dignify your baseless accusations with a reply and will reserve all our rights in respect of your purported ‘letter to show cause’. Any response by us now will be disrespectful to the ROS and its pending decision,” the statement continued.

The group viewed the show-cause letters as an attempt to pre-empt the decision of ROS. They said that such unilateral action would cause further division within the party and prompt ROS to deregister SUPP.

Meanwhile, Dr Jerip said the show-cause letters did not augur well with efforts by those aligned to Wong for reconciliation right from the beginning. He added that the letters were not even signed by the president or secretary-general.

“In any serious case, such letters should have been signed either by the president or secretary-general. These show-cause letters reflect their (SUPP president Tan Sri Peter Chin’s faction) mindset and attitude towards reconciliation. It shows that they are all-out for war to dismantle and get rid of all of us. They may not do it directly at Wong but slowly they are cutting off his supporters,” he added. - theborneopost

‘Let new leaders helm SUPP’

KUCHING: SUPP Sibu chief Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh yesterday proposed that all “controversial leaders”, including himself, step down to pave the way for a new election to rejuvenate the party.

Those aligned to party president Tan Sri Peter Chin must do likewise in order to avoid another round of confrontation between both warring factions when the election is called, he stressed.

He also advised former elected representatives (YBs) who are holding top posts in the party to retire so that the present crop of YBs and young professionals could come to the fore to rejuvenate the party.

“I, being the leader of this group, an elected representative and also senior minister, is willing to step aside and not participating in the election. Our group feels that if I do not participate, then Peter Chin and all ex-SUPP YBs, they know who they are, should not participate,” Wong told a press conference at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel here yesterday.

Also present were assemblymen Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (Bengoh), Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa (Engkilili) and Ranum Mina (Opar).

Wong explained that this proposed solution would enable young leaders to take over the helm and take the party out of its current slump.

“Our intention is to allow younger leaders to come into office and lead SUPP. This includes our four Bumiputera state elected representatives so that our party will have the leadership of younger people, new image and move forward with new vitality.

“This could be the breakthrough for the party.”

Wong, who is also Second Finance Minister and Minister of Local Government and Community Development, said except for the deputy president cum Serian MP Datuk Richard Riot, the party was now led by a team of former YBs who had all lost their seats either in the last state or general elections.

“These former YBs continue to maintain their grip on power in the party hierarchy despite the fact that voters have rejected them in their constituencies.

“At the end of the day, party interest is the most important. Office held by individual person is irrelevant if the party is weak and going downhill.”

Wong reiterated that his group was very committed in wanting to save the party since day one.

When the crisis arose in the run-up to the party’s triennial delegates’ conference (TDC) in December 2011, he said his group held a meeting with the other group, and the meeting was chaired by Chin’s predecessor Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan.

During the meeting, Wong said his group proposed a cooling off period by postponing the TDC until after the general election, and Dr Chan agreed to it, but Chin’s faction insisted the TDC must be held every three years based on the party’s constitution.

The group also proposed that to avoid direct confrontation, controversial leaders in the internal feud, including Wong, Chin and all those who had lost in the 2011 state election, abstained from participating in the TDC election.

But that proposal was also rejected.

In the end, the TDC went ahead but the group led by Wong boycotted it, claiming irregularities in some of the branch elections.

“Our group has tried our best to save the party, but, unfortunately, all our proposals have not being well received by the other side. There is nothing much we can do.”

Meanwhile, Dr Jerip hoped the Registrar of Societies (ROS) would expedite its decision on the party. -  theborneopost

PRS confident of wresting back Pelagus

KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) is confident it will be able to wrest back Pelagus from the opposition in the next state election despite Larry Sng’s declaration that he has been eyeing that seat.

Larry is president of Sarawak Workers Party.

PRS vice-president Majang Renggi believed voters in Pelagus were now wiser and aware that the opposition could not do much to develop the area.

“I am sure voters in Pelagus realised that it was mistake to vote for the opposition in the last state election as present Pelagus elected representative George Lagong from SWP contributed nothing to its development.

“We are not perturbed by the news that Larry is eyeing the seat. He is most welcome to contest in Pelagus. We uphold his democratic right to do so, but he will soon realise that Pelagus is no longer that easy to retain,” Majang told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Majang was responding to Larry’s statement on Monday that SWP had decided to contest in seven seats including Pelagus where Larry himself would stand as a candidate.

Meanwhile, PRS member Bakat Gira who hails from Kapit said it was a case of ‘once bitten twice shy’ for the people of Pelagus. They made the wrong choice in the last state election and would not make the same mistake again.

“The best George has been doing is talk but no action. He cannot deliver because he is in the opposition and that is not what the people want. They want a representative that can bring tangible development.

“Now they realise that only a BN representative can deliver. Even if Larry were to contest, I believe the people have already lost confidence in the party and its candidates,” said Bakat.

As Pelagus assemblyman from 2001 to 2011, Larry believed George Lagong was warming the seat for him when Larry himself was uncertain of his own political move during the 2011 state election.

He was left partyless after being sacked from PRS for insubordination in 2009.

Larry later registered SWP in April 2013 which contested in all six parliamentary seats held by PRS but to no avail. - theborneopost

SWP is daydreaming – former leader

KUCHING: Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) is lost in the reverie for putting forth their hope to contest in seven seats in the next state election, says its former leader.

The party’s former supreme council member Andy Lawrence, now a political activist, claimed that the party’s decision was all for political power to benefit only the Sng’s family.

Andy said this when responding to SWP president Larry Sng’s announcement on the party’s direction of wanting to contest in at least seven seats in the next state election and its urgent need to inform members about their intention at the earliest possible moment.

“They could not even make inroads in the last parliamentary election and they are now trying their luck in the next state election,” Andy said questioning the party’s latest move.

“Based on the results of the last parliamentary election, it is better for SWP to wake up now, and stop fooling the people,” he said.

Sng had on Monday revealed that the party has decided to contest in seven seats in the coming state election out of which, four candidates has been identified. These are Pelagus, Meluan, Engkilili and Tamin.

Sng did not mince his word when he said that he might be contesting in Pelagus but the incumbent now is his deputy president George Lagong.

Andy reckoned that SWP should just be a welfare organisation and focus on helping sick children which they have been actively involved in currently.

“The people should now realise that SWP is the one which is practising bad politics,” he said, adding that it was the sort of political style which the Sngs had accused PRS of adopting.

“Unfulfilled promises are plenty in the seats they contested in the last parliamentary election and even in the Lubok Antu seat which the president himself contested in,” he added.

Andy, who left SWP about a month before the last parliamentary election, pointed out that an honourable politician will always fulfill what he or she promised, even if he or she had lost the battle. - theborneopost

Dr Rundi scorches opposition’s effort

SIBU: State BN secretary-general Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi yesterday warned the opposition not to expect the people to fall for its brand of politics.

He was asked if the coming state election would see a different political landscape following the emergence of many new political parties in the scene, and whether the state BN expect a tougher fight than that in the last state polls.

The five new newcomers are Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras), Parti Bumi Kenyalang, Peace Party and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDS Baru) and Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (Persb).

“We don’t expect much difference and if any, there will be more confusion within the opposition if they think they can instigate/manipulate the Dayaks,” the Kemena assemblyman told The Borneo Post.

Making it a crowded affair, SWP announced that they would contest in seven state constituencies in the next state election though it is at least two years away.

Its president Larry Sng said the seven seats they intended to field candidates in included Pelagus, Meluan, Engkilili and Tamin whose candidates had been identified.

Of the four state constituency seats, two are held by BN with Dr Johnical Rayong (SUPP) as assemblyman for Engkilili and PRS Datuk Joseph Mauh, assemblyman for Tamin.

SWP-held seats are Pelagus (George Lagong) and Meluan (Wong Judat). Judat left SPDP last year to cross over to SWP.

Asked if SWP would make inroad this time around now that they had agreed to work with PR, Dr Rundi, who is assistant minister of public utilities (electricity and telecommunications), said BN is always in a state of readiness.

“We in BN don’t take any election lightly and will fight any opposition all out, no matter who they are,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, PBB supreme council member Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said: “Personally, I see it a bit too early to sound the trumpet on which seat should be contested.

“As Malaysia is a democratic country, SWP is free to contest any seat in the next state election. Whether they can make inroad into any seat is yet to be seen.”

Abdul Karim, who is also Assistant Minister of Youth Development and Asajaya assemblyman, said it was not going to be easy for SWP, judging from its performance in the last general election.

Nevertheless, he figured it was good to make early preparations and that the people have the final say.

He reckoned the next state election would be just like any other election.

“We might see more players as more political parties have registered. But politics is no kid’s game. Parties need visionary and dedicated leaders wiith good objectives, machinery and finance,” he noted.

Abdul Karim said it would not be easy for those fishing for ‘luck’ in an election as voters are more matured now.

SPDP deputy secretary-general Paul Igai when contacted said: “SPDP will make a come back in Meluan for the sake of the people there, without a second thought.” - theborneopost