MBKS mayor, DBKU member linked to new party as SUPP braces for ROS show-cause letter
KUCHING: Two surprise names, Kuching South City mayor Datuk James Chan and Kuching City North Commission (DBKU) member Datuk Wee Hong Seng, are linked to a new political party waiting in the wings to replace Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) in the event it was de-registered.
The state’s oldest party is likely to receive a show-cause letter from the Registrar of Societies (ROS) within this month requiring it to explain alleged branch election irregularities which took place before its Triennial Delegates Conference (TDC) in Dec 2011.
A concerned political observer yesterday disclosed the new party had already been approved by the ROS and it was just a matter of time before it was announced.
He went on to divulge that the organisation would most probably be backed by prominent businessmen from Sibu and Miri even though it was linked to Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, SUPP Sibu branch chairman and Minister of Local Government and Community Development.
“Wong will not be leading the new organisation given the fact he has said he wanted the elderly SUPP leaders to step down and give the opportunity to young blood.”
Asked who would lead the new party, the observer dropped a bombshell by mentioning Chan and Wee.
“It is said these two are very keen. What is certain is that the new organisation will not see old faces especially those involved in the political games which had done much harm to the Chinese community.”
When asked the likely name for the new party would be, the observer gave a ‘no brainer’ answer – SUPP Baru.
Meanwhile, a reliable source revealed that the ROS had prepared the show-cause letter sometime ago but had to wait for a final decision by higher authorities before issuing it.
With Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud having publicly suggested that it was time for a new party to be formed to represent the Chinese if SUPP could not solve its internal conflicts, political pundits believed the death knell would soon toll for the party.
The observer said it was evident that efforts to reconcile the two factions locked in the dispute – one led by Wong and another by Tan Sri Peter Chin – were doomed to fail.