KUCHING: Around 300 supporters of Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) held a rally in the city centre yesterday to protest the ‘orangutan’ tag labelled at them by their rivals Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Led by the party’s five Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in Kuching, they gathered at a restaurant in Padungan before proceeding en-masse to the state DAP headquarters at Jalan Datuk Abang Abdul Rahim.
They carried banners and shouted words, which amongst others, were “We are not orangutan” and “Outsiders must stay out of state’s affairs”.
A shouting match ensued as they faced off with DAP leaders and supporters.
Batu Lintang candidate Sih Hua Tong, when met by reporters later, said they held the protest as they were angry with a DAP national leader Dr Hew Kuan Yau for likening SUPP to orangutan.
Hew, who is formerly DAP Socialist Youth secretary, purportedly made these remarks during a ceramah (political talk) a few nights ago.
According to Sih, calling SUPP an orangutan party was equivalent to comparing all Sarawakians to the primate.
“They are too much.
(What we are doing) is a symbol of Sarawakian pride,” he said, in defending their action to go to the streets to protest.
“To me, no Malaysian should look down on another. How can you come here and insult us? It all boils down to basic respect for one another.”
Also in the group were BN candidates from SUPP namely Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian (Pending), Datuk Alfred Yap (Kota Sentosa), Tan Joo Phoi (Batu Kawah) and Sim Kiang Chiok (Padungan).
A statement by SUPP, distributed to members of the press, also slammed DAP and its Pakatan Rakyat partners for looking down on Sarawakians.
It also said Hew’s statement was a “contemptuous” act because this had humiliated thousands of SUPP members both existing and deceased, and insulted the character and wisdom of all Sarawakians.
The statement added that PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang already mocked Sarawakians for wearing the ‘cawat’, another unnamed Pakatan leader said Sarawakians still lived in trees, and DAP too had called Sarawakians ‘herbivores’.
The SUPP group then handed over a memorandum to DAP, which was received by its state secretary Chong Chieng Jien, who is also Kota Sentosa incumbent.
The memorandum, amongst others, demanded that DAP retract its insults and issue a public apology.
Chong, in his response, said the party would not apologise as the allegations were unfounded.
He defended Hew’s actions as merely playing of words during speech when talking specifically about SUPP but not generally of Sarawakians.