Mawan says not aware of ‘tuai sackings’

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MIRI: SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan said he is not aware of a report carried by an Internet news portal that 40 ‘tuai rumah’ (village heads) in Marudi constituency had been relieved of their posts.

He, however, cautioned that the issue must be handled with care to avoid unnecessary action and political twist that can cause misunderstanding on the ground.

“I’m not aware of the issue and the sacking case must be handled with care in order to avoid unnecessary action and political twist,” he said here yesterday when met after presenting state flags to the contingent from Sarawak participating in the Borneo Games in Labuan.

He further said he has yet to receive feedback from the relevant authority and had to look at the matter seriously for the sake of solidarity and unity of Barisan Nasional (BN).

As of now, he said he could not comment more on the matter, pointing out that the terms of some of the village heads might have expired or that some might have volunteered to step down due to ill health and age.

According to him, their terms are for four years, which may be renewed and extended if they perform well.

However, if they were dismissed due to political reasons he feared the move would cause a backlash and confusion among the people.

The portal had claimed that the 40 longhouse chiefs had been removed from their posts allegedly upon the recommendation of Assistant Minister of Public Utilities Sylvester Entri, ironically the Marudi assemblyman.

It also said most of those sacked were members of SPDP, Entri’s former party and a letter of termination allegedly signed by the district officer of Marudi had been served on the 40 longhouse chiefs.

Giving no reason for their sacking, the portal also said the letter instructed the respective longhouses to choose their new ‘tuai rumah’.