26 SPDP Women Wing branches want chief to quit

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KUCHING: Twenty six out of the 37 women’s branches of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) have called on the party Women Wing chief Datuk Chiew Yen Chew to step down from her post.

During a press conference which was held yesterday at the party headquarters at Jalan Badurddin the SPDP women members voiced their disapproval over Chiew’s leadership calling on her to gracefully step down before party president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom tells her do to so.

They pointed out that never in the history of Malaysian politics had a Women Wing head from any Barisan National (BN) component party openly defied a party president.

Olivia Chan, who is among the Exco members present during the press conference commented that most of the party members understood that Chiew was frustrated over the re-admission of the G4 members Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie (Tasik Biru), Datuk Sylvester Entrie Muran (Marudi), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau) into the party but Chan said that Chiew and her followers failed to see the bigger picture of things.

“They are assemblymen who can win BN seats during the coming state election and their readmission will only make the party stronger, not the other way around. I don’t see why is this (the readmission of the members of the G4) is a bad thing,” she added.

She added all women party members must unite and work together for the sake of the party and Chew should retract the no-confidence vote against Mawan.

During a March 25 Women Wing meeting a hotel here 19 out of 25 Wanita Exco members led by Chiew cast their votes against Mawan but Chan insisted that the move did not receive the consent from the majority of the women members.

“What happened last month does not reflect the stance of the party’s women grassroots members. It was an act of a few and we would like to apologise to the Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak, Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem and all of the nation’s BN component parties (over this act of the Women Wing),” said Chan. Maslinda Hamidon who is the party supreme council member said that Chiew should step down from the post as what she did tarnished the party’s image.

“This must not happen to the party. As a political party we should be united and be show full support for the president instead,” she commented.

SPDP Wanita information chief Hilda Mayor also backed Maslinda’s statement saying that the Women Wing should be focussing on helping the party to face the next state election instead of being mired in disputes and disunity.

The SPDP Women Wing have 41,000 registered members statewide at the moment.