Way open for UPP, Teras, partyless elected representatives to get into Barisan Nasional through SPDP
Tiong (seated, second left) chairing an emergency supreme council meeting to discuss merger with UPP and even its splinter party, Teras to consolidate the BN. The party also welcomes three partyless direct BN state representatives. Seated on third left is Mas Gading MP Anthony Nogeh, who is also party’s secretary general.
KUCHING: Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) has invited United People’s Party (UPP) to discuss the possibility of a merger between the two parties.
The decision was unanimously agreed at the party’s emergency supreme council meeting held here yesterday.
SPDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing disclosed after the meeting that the supreme council also extended its invitation to Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) and the three other partyless BN representatives elected in the just-concluded state election.
Tiong stressed that SPDP did not set any condition for any parties or individual in its offer.
“We have a lengthy discussion and we have reached a unanimous decision by all the 28 supreme council members present here in this meeting to open our door to all the direct BN candidates to either join our party as individuals or as parties such as UPP and Teras.”
“We have offered UPP to join us and then we have mooted the discussion, and then today, we bring it to the supreme council for discussion and in principle agree to offer them and of course, if the move could be achieved then the details of merging the parties will be discussed later.
“We made this initial move and see how they respond. If you made the move and there is response, then there will be a second stage. However, there will be timeline set. We open the door and see how it goes first,” Tiong told a press conference after chairing the meeting.
He added that if any direct BN candidate wanted to join as an individual, he said they would have to apply and would be duly accepted.
Tiong said he was aware that a merger between UPP and SPDP would be complicated as it involved members, supreme council members and also elected representatives of both parties.
“Let us say for UPP, we are opening our door for them to join us. But if they want to come in as party….that is a different thing because they have members, supreme council members, they have YBs. So that would be different and would need further discussion,” said Tiong.
Currently, there are five former UPP leaders who stood as direct BN candidates and won. They are Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, who won the Bawang Assan seat, Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (Mambong), Datuk Tiong Thai King (Dudong), Ranum Mina (Opar) and Dr Johnical Rayong (Engkilili).
On former Teras leaders, namely Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, who won in Pakan; Rosey Yunos (Bekenu) and Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau), Tiong said SPDP would also be extending its invitation to them to rejoin, either as individuals or en bloc.
The Bintulu MP also said, this would also be applied to the three remaining direct BN elected representatives, namely Miro Simuh, who won the Serembu seat, John Ilus (Bukit Semuja) and Dato Gerawat Gala (Mulu).
On a separate issue, Tiong reiterated that the appointment of the State Cabinet members is the prerogative of the chief minister.
“Many are concerned about cabinet appointment but to us, we are more concerned about getting everyone to join together since everybody works towards the same direction – to strengthen the BN, and that is why we are opening the door for everybody to join,” stressed Tiong.
He allayed fears that after the merger with UPP, SPDP could be transformed into a Chinese-based party saying that its constitution state that SPDP is a multi-racial party.
“Whether the Iban, the Chinese or the Malay is the majority, SPDP it is a multi-racial party. That is within our constitution,” Tiong asserted.
Tiong also clarified that the proposed merger with UPP and Teras had nothing to do with the ‘Merger of the Mind’ mooted by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing, which was accepted by both SPDP and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) before the election.
“This merger has nothing to do with the ‘Merger of Mind’. We are opening our door because there are people without platform yet as they are direct BN candidates. That is why we are offering these people to join our party.
“Then we will be on the same platform, we move together, we work together to serve people better, especially for the development of Sarawak and the nation.”
Tiong also clarified that as the merger initiative is still in its preliminary stage there is no need for SPDP to seek the blessings of other BN component parties or the prime minister, who is the BN national chairman and the chief minister, who is the state BN chairman.