KUCHING: Internal rifts in SUPP seemed to have reached new heights yesterday when the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) refused to endorse deputy secretary-general Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh’s appointment into the state cabinet.
This was revealed in a statement which the CWC released at the party’s headquarters which read: “The acceptance of YB Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh as a state cabinet minister is strictly his personal decision.”
The statement however fell short of stating the consequences if Wong accepted the appointment.
It also did not mention the recommendations they would make or had forwarded to the Chief Minister with regards to the Bawang Assan assemblyman and another successful candidate Datuk Lee Kim Shin (Senadin), a former assistant minister of sports.
Adding salt to injury, yesterday’s CWC meeting also maintained its stand (which was agreed on Monday’s CWC meeting) for the recommendation of its four Bumiputera or Dayak elected representatives in Opar, Bengoh, Simanggang and Engkilili to be considered to serve in the state cabinet.
“Since SUPP had failed to obtain the mandate from the Chinese community in the last state election, whilst the Bumiputera support for BN had increased, the party had recommended that more Bumiputera YBs be appointed as ministers and assistant ministers in the state cabinet.
“The said decision had been conveyed by the party president to the state Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership,” the statement said.
The press release yesterday was issued by party treasurer Datuk David Teng Lung Chi who earlier held a meeting with secretary-general Datuk Sim Kheng Hui and publicity and information secretary Datuk Alfred Yap, among others.
Teng and Yap lost in Repok and Kota Sentosa respectively in the just-concluded election.
Teng, who spoke on behalf of the committee, later told reporters that the said ‘meeting’ was actually a “motivational talk session” among party leaders who were present.
“We did not discuss (Wong) Soon Koh’s situation at all. The press release basically said it all,” explained the former Repok assemblyman who lost to DAP’s Dr Wong Hua Seh by 2,679 vote majority in the recent state election.
After the CWC meeting on Monday, Teng had told a press conference that the party had put up some recommendations for its two Chinese elected representatives in Wong and Lee.
However, he declined to disclose the recommendations as he reiterated that the final decision lay in Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s hands.
A source within the party had said that several defeated leaders in the party were adamant that it should not accept any appointments in the new state cabinet following its electoral defeats in the Chinese constituencies.
Wong, who has been speculated to be appointed Deputy Chief Minister, appeared to be against the idea of pulling out of the cabinet and this had put him against the wishes of his party colleagues.
On Monday Wong ignored their views and joined seven other former state ministers who retained their seats in the just-concluded state election by being sworn in as a member of the new state cabinet at the new State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building in Petra Jaya.
The other seven were PBB deputy president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, PRS president Dato Sri Dr James Masing, SPDP president Dato Sri William Mawan Ikom, PBB deputy president Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, vice-president Dato Sri Michael Manyin, senior vice-president Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and deputy women chief Datin Fatimah Abdullah.
Meanwhile, when asked for his comments on the CWC’s decisions in Sibu yesterday, Wong merely said he would explain at an approppriate time.