KUCHING: SUPP is waiting anxiously for the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to decide on the fate of the party.
Party president Tan Sri Peter Chin said the verdict on the recent ROS show-cause letter was crucial in determining the party’s next move.
“I am not sure what is happening, but we are just as anxious too to receive the result so that we can move on.
“Hopefully, we can unite the party again,” he told reporters after leading party members to Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s Hari Raya open house on Thursday.
Asked if he was expecting a favourable result, he said: “I don’t know … we leave it to ROS to decide.”
On June 6, SUPP was served with a show-cause letter for alleged irregularities committed by its two branches – Piasau and Bekenu – in the run-up to the party’s Triennial Delegates Conference (TDC) here in December 2011.
SUPP, the oldest party in Sarawak, has been split into two factions since the run-up to its TDC, with Sibu branch chairman Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, who is also Bawang Assan assemblyman, leading one camp and Chin the other.
Complaints were lodged against 14 branches before and after the TDC for irregularities and violations of the party’s constitution, but only Piasau and Bekenu branches were served with show-cause letters.
The party’s TDC was allegedly marred by irregularities which led to Wong’s faction boycotting it. There are six assemblymen in Wong’s camp – Datuk Lee Kim Shin (Senadin), Ranum Mina (Opar), Datuk Francis Harden (Simanggang), Dr Johnical Rayong (Engkilili) and Dr Jerip Susil (Bengoh).
Wong, is also Second Minister of Finance and Minister of Local Government and Community Development, while Lee, Harden and Dr Jerip are assistant ministers.
Chin, when asked if he was optimistic SUPP could be united again, replied it would need the efforts of both sides to make it happen.
“If anything, it takes two hands to clap. As I said before, I am willing to try my very best to unite the party.”
On talks of a merger between SUPP, MCA and Gerakan, he said the matter would be made clearer once those two parties were done with their respective party polls at the end of this year.
He said there had yet to be serious talks on the matter ever since the idea was brought up by Gerakan.
Talks of such a merger to form a large Chinese-based party within Barisan Nasional (BN) intensified after these parties performer poorly in the 13th general election last May.
Asked if SUPP was all for such a merger, he said: “I am not against it, neither am I for it”.
“We want to see what is the proposal (when put) on the table. ‘Belum ada’ (There is yet to be any).”
Meanwhile, the SUPP members, including secretary-general Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian, Youth chief Tan Kai and Wanita leader Tnay Li Ping, also visited the Open Houses of Head of State Tun Datuk Patinggi Muhammad Salahuddin and State Secretary Datuk Amar Morshidi Abdul Ghani on Thursday.