Dr Sim speaks to reporters. Photo by Clarissa Chai
KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said “collaboration in terms of sharing of seats is not called unity”.
He said he had repeatedly invited and urged United People’s Party (UPP) leaders and members to come back to SUPP.
“After all Dato Sri Wong (Soon Koh) is a senior member of the party (SUPP). I’ve invited UPP to come back. Under the Barisan Nasional (BN) principle, only BN component parties can legally use the BN logo.
“You don’t need to resign from the party if you contest as BN-SUPP candidates,” he told reporters after attending a function held at the Sarawak Turf Club here today.
Dr Sim, who is Minister of Local Government and Housing, said he could not comprehend the meaning of ‘collaboration or merger’ as previously raised by Wong, who is also Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce.
To Dr Sim, either collaboration or merger “basically means coming back to SUPP”.
“The Chinese community has apparently advised them (UPP) to come back (to SUPP). I’m not a lawyer, so I’m not good at twisting words.”
To a question, he said he had talked to Wong on the reconciliation matter but he could not disclose the content nor could he speculate about what Wong would do next.
“Sharing of seats before the elections is not called unity. It (split) is long enough and it’s time (for UPP) to come back (to SUPP),” added Dr Sim.
During the UPP’s Extraordinary Delegates Conference yesterday, Wong said the party was ready to work together with SUPP to ensure victory for the seats they lost in the last general election.
The six Chinese-majority urban seats that BN lost to the opposition during last parliamentary election were Bandar Kuching, Stampin, Sibu, Lanang, Sarikei and Miri.