Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh
KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) deputy secretary-general Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh believes the series of events unfolding in the party is a plot by a certain individual to assume the top leadership even at the expense of the party’s survival.
“Plainly speaking, that person considers me ‘the biggest obstable’ and is trying every means to pull me down in order to achieve his personal agenda,” Wong said yesterday in a letter, addressed to the leaders of SUPP branches throughout Sarawak.
A copy was made available to The Borneo Post from an undisclosed source.
Wong said he was not against the central committee (CC) meeting as demanded by a group party members through their lawyer.
He stressed there must be adequate preparations before such a meeting could be convened.
While his success in retaining Bawang Assam in the recent state election is considered fortunate, Wong said it was also the beginning of his misfortune as well as the misfortune of the party.
“The fact that I was elected and subsequently joined the cabinet has become the constant attacking point of that individual towards me and the party,” he added.
Listing out the chronological events following the state election on April 16, Wong said on April 18, a central working committee (CWC) meeting was convened with certain members suggesting the two elected Chinese members should not join the state cabinet.
The CWC meeting did not reach a consensus on this matter but decided to leave the decision to the state BN chairman.
According to Wong, the next day, the CWC secretary-general issued a statement saying Wong had joined the state cabinet without the blessing of the party.
The statement was without a signature, and later, party president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan said he was against the statement.
Wong said on April 30, certain party members requested that a CWC meeting be convened on May 7 to take action against Wong and Datuk Lee Khim Shin for going ahead with their swearing-in as a minister and an assistant minister respectively.
However, the party president deferred the meeting.
\Wong added that on May 1, a group who called themselves ‘young supporters’ seeking to reform the party, advertised in the local newspapers declaring that “the top leaders of the party need not be an MP, DUN or minister”.
On May 2, he said, the individual concerned explained the meaning behind the following two political platforms – (1) ‘party to lead politics’ and (2) ‘minister to lead party’ — in an effort to reinforce the view that “the top leaders of the party need not be an MP, DUN or ministers” as advertised.
In mid-May, a group of 58 central committee (CC) members wrote a joint letter to the CWC, requesting for a CC meeting to discuss the losses suffered by the party in the state election.
Later, it was discovered that there was only agenda for the CC meeting — which was to ask Wong to explain why he had joined the cabinet.
Subsquently, after finding out the truth, a number of the signatories withdrew.
Coincidentally, before the CWC meeting on May 27, a number of branches wrote in on May 23, 24 and 25, asking for a CC meeting with the sole agenda to ask Wong to explain why he joined the cabinet and to demand for a secret ballot to decide whether to accept Wong’s explanation.
If Wong’s decision was rejected, he should resign from the cabinet within two weeks.
On May 27, the CWC decided to support the Chinese elected members’ decisions to join the state cabinet.
The party president and many other CWC members agreed the party should go back to branches and grassroots for feedback on how to revive the party before convening a CC meeting (as demanded by the lawyer).
Wong said this was the right thing to do because a CC meeting needed a lot of preparations.
Firstly, the top leadership should reflect, learn from mistakes, consolidate their thoughts and identify the priorities of the party.
Secondly, to use the feedback from the branches and grassroots as a basis to frame a complete solution such as reorganisation of the party’s structure to win back the support and confidence of the members and the people.
Thirdly, to explain to the branch leaders and grassroots that their suggestions and ideas would be taken into due consideration for the solution aimed at bringing about the necessary modifications to the party.
The matter should have been put at rest at this juncture.
However, on May 31, a group of party members and supporters sent an ultimatum to the party president through their lawyer to convene CC meeting within 14 days or face legal action.
On June 12 – three days before the deadline — the lawyer told the press that action would be taken after the 14 days’ grace period.
Wong viewed the chronological events as concrete evidence of a plot against him.
“If the individual concerned had no political wisdom, how could he be in the cabinet for decades? If he had no political wisdom, would he have suggested that the Chinese elected members not join the state cabinet? “If he had no political wisdom, how could he have suggested that all appointed government positions for the party members be terminated?.
“If he had no political wisdom, why had he come up with the platforms of ‘party to lead politics’ and ‘minister to lead party’ which was never mentioned throughout his political career?” Wong urged the individual concerned to stop all these political games for the sake of saving the party.
He also urged all party members to remain united and face the difficult times together.