Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan
KUCHING: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan believes that the party will one day regain the deputy chief minister’s post.
The former deputy chief minister yesterday said it was meaningless for the party or the Chinese in the state to feel sad for the ‘loss’ of the post following the new Cabinet line-up announced by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud last Wednesday.
“It is the prerogative of the Chief Minister. Of course, not everyone is satisfied with that,” he said in a phone interview.
Dr Chan, who had failed to retain his seat in the April 16 state election, pointed out that SUPP leaders and elected representatives still can serve the people even without any SUPP leader holding the post.
He stressed that sincerity and seriousness in helping people to solve their problems were far more important and pertinent.
The president said SUPP must revamp itself to regain the trust of the people.
“Having the post (deputy chief minister) does not mean we could deliver better and effective services to the people. SUPP needs to get stronger so that we won’t lose to the opposition when it comes to finding solution for people’s problems,” he said.
SUPP deputy secretary-general and Local Government and Community Development Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh right after the Cabinet reshuffle said that he felt sad that the party was not given back the post.
“Yes, I feel sad — not for myself but the party and the community as a whole, but then again, I suppose we should know where we stand because based on our representation, we have got only six in BN (Barisan Nasional), particularly ethnic Chinese YBs (elected representatives) of whom there are only two,” Wong said.
It was widely speculated that Wong and Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing (PRS president) might fill the deputy chief minister’s post which was left vacant following the defeat of Dr Chan in the last election.
However, as expected by some political pundits, the post was not filled.
Unlike the past, PBB deputy president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang is the only Deputy Chief Minister now.
SUPP, once the ‘number two’ party, now only has six seats after it lost 13 out of 19 seats it contested in the last state election.