Masing recommends ‘taichi’ tactics in dealing with Toh

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KUCHING: Minister of Land Development Dato Sri Dr James Masing feels that Toh Heng San, who recently quit the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has opened the ‘floodgates’ to undesired challenges for Barisan Nasional (BN).

Dato Sri Dr James Masing

Nonetheless, the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president said the BN should just relax since the former SUPP man had publicly issued his challenge.

“We have to play ‘taichi’ (a Chinese system of slow meditative physical exercise designed for relaxation and balance and health) a bit,” he told journalists after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) and Sunway College Kuching at a leading hotel here yesterday.

It has been reported that Toh decided to resign from his party after SUPP accepted Engkilili assemblyman Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa as its member.

The former SUPP Engkilili branch chairman said he was ready to contest as an independent candidate against Dr Rayong come the next state election.

Toh added that if he won the election, he would reapply to join SUPP.

On talks that the pre-council meeting last Sunday only accepted Dr Rayong into BN and not SUPP, Masing said: “Barisan Nasional does not impose ruling on which party one wants to join.”

“Apparently, he has applied for and was already accepted by the SUPP. So he is now a member of SUPP.”

He said he did have doubts about admitting Dr Rayong into the state BN given that he stood under the ticket of Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and defeated BN candidate Jonathan Krai Pilo in the 2006 polls.

“I had my doubt once… But since the decision has been made (that BN has accepted Dr Rayong), I respect it,” said Masing.