KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) yesterday expressed their disappointment that a Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) leader officiated at ‘new kid in the block’ United People’s Party (UPP) triennial delegates conference (TDC).
SUPP said this would send “confusing and wrong political signals to the people of Sarawak” and the party “regrets and is unhappy” over the attendance of PBB deputy president Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg at the UPP inaugural TDC held at KTS Garden on Sunday.
“Today (yesterday) it is widely reported in the press that the deputy president of PBB Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg attended the first general meeting of UPP on Jan 11, 2015 in Kuching. Such publicity has caused grave concern among SUPP party members and its supporters,” said SUPP president Senator Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
“The attendance of YB Datuk Amar Abang Johari in the UPP conference would send confusing and wrong political signals to the people of Sarawak. SUPP deeply regrets and is unhappy about the attendance by YB Datuk Amar Abang Johari in the UPP first general meeting held on January 11, 2015,” he stressed.
Dr Sim also said the present leadership of SUPP and PBB must treasure, appreciate and remember the historically close working relationship between SUPP and PBB.
In 1970, SUPP and PBB formed the coalition government which had brought peace, political stability, economic development and prosperity to Sarawak.
The most remarkable achievement was the signing of the Sri Aman Peace Agreement in 1973, ending years of armed conflicts in Sarawak.
In 1974, under the leadership of the late Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, BN was formed. SUPP and PBB have been its component parties since then.
In 1987, 28 members of the State Assembly staged a coup d’état at the Ming Court Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. SUPP fully supported the then leadership of PBB, and BN successfully won the snap state election.
Since then, the BN state government had remained in force.
Dr Sim also said many of the present leaders of UPP were either members or leaders of SUPP, including Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, who was sacked for serious breaches of party discipline.
“SUPP reiterates that under the BN constitution, any admission of a new political party into BN must be unanimously approved and agreed upon by all BN component parties.
“This condition must be respected and upheld by all BN component parties,” Dr Sim said.
Reiterating that SUPP strongly opposed the admission of UPP into BN, Dr Sim noted that it was unanimously resolved in the party’s Delegates Conference on Sept 9 last year that SUPP must contest in all the 19 state seats allocated to it and any newly allocated state seats, adding it would bring this latest issue to the Supreme Council of BN for deliberation.
Meanwhile, SUPP Youth Central claimed that UPP’s effort to be BN friendly was derailed when UPP was allowed to use the BN logo during its TDC on Sunday.
“The conduct of using BN logo before being accepted by BN will damage their effort to be BN friendly in future,” SUPP Youth chief Tan Kai said through a press statement.
Tan admitted that any or every political party in a democratic country had the right to express their political wishes but if UPP intended to become a BN-friendly party, there has to be unanimity within BN to accept it instead of only one or two BN leaders.
“In the coming Sarawak state election, UPP please support all BN candidates including SUPP candidates to prove whether you are supporting BN or jeopardising BN,” he argued.
After their inaugural TDC on Sunday, Second Finance Minister and Minister for Local Government and Community Development Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh emerged as the UPP president.
The TDC went well at the KTS Garden here with Abang Johari representing Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem to open it, sending a strong signal in the state political arena that UPP is part of the state BN or at least BN-Plus government.
Wong, also Bawang Assan assemblyman, together with three other assemblymen quit SUPP to join another political party, Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras), on May 15, 2014.
In August 2014, they quit Teras to join UPP.
The other three are Bengoh assemblyman Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (UPP deputy president) who is also Assistant Minister for Public Health, Opar assemblyman Ranum Mina (senior vice president) and Engkilili assemblyman Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa (vice president and UPP Youth chief).
More than 1,000 members from across the state attended the TDC, including Teras deputy president Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie, who is Assistant Minister for Community Services, to render support.