Datuk Dr Jerip Susil
KUCHING: Mambong assemblyman Datuk Dr Jerip Susil is ready to rejoin United People’s Party (UPP), from which he had to quit to contest as a Barisan Nasional (BN) direct candidate in the last state election.
Dr Jerip, who is the former deputy president of UPP, said the grassroots, particularly his hardcore supporters, have spoken and they do not want to be leaderless for too long as there are issues that have to be settled in the constituency.
“For those in UPP Mambong the journey of uncertainty ends and the journey to serve our people begins,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Dr Jerip acknowledged that without a party he could have little influence in decisions made in the community as seen in the latest appointments of members in local councils lately.
“I wish to state categorically that I cannot abandon my supporters too long as this would become negative in the long run. However, they have also given a strong message that UPP must be a BN component in order to be of equal standing in its service towards the rakyat (people).
“This has been over exploited and the members have felt it unfair as it was UPP members across the length and breadth of Sarawak who maintained the winnability of BN in a number of critical areas.
“Let no one doubt the steadfastness and faithfulnes of UPP members to BN and my commitment to UPP,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
UPP Mambong leader Wadel Boyod was recently quoted as saying they had discussed at length the current political situation and pointed out that since UPP is part of the BN machinery, they hoped that Dr Jerip would come back to lead them.
“We would like our Mambong constituency to continue to be served through the same UPP platform from which our present YB Dr Jerip had served. As such we want our YB Dr Jerip to come back to lead our UPP Mambong branch,” he said.
Dr Jerip was fielded as a direct BN candidate in the state election held on May 7 and won by a majority of 3,333 votes in a three-cornered fight which also featured Sanjan Daik from DAP and Willie Mongin from PKR.
Dr Jerip was reappointed Assistant Minister of Public Health after the state election.