Is it interference by Masing?

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SPDP grassroots leaders believe PRS chief’s statement aimed at ridiculing Mawan

Stewart Aing

KUCHING: Several Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) grassroots leaders have expressed their disappointment with Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing for interfering in SPDP affairs.

SPDP Lambir divisional chairman Stewart Aing claimed that Masing was meddling in SPDP affairs when he commented that the SPDP 5 must be retained in Barisan Nasional (BN) if they were sacked for alleged gross insubordination against the party leadership.

The statement, Stewart said, was calculated to ridicule SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan.

“By saying that SPDP should allow SPDP 5 to remain in BN when they themselves had wanted to be sacked, it means that Masing is interfering in the SPDP’s internal affair,” said an irate Stewart.

He also charged that Masing was also trying to ridicule Mawan by making such a statement.

At the sidelines of the DUN sitting on Wednesday, Masing had said that the SPDP 5 must remain in BN otherwise they might join the opposition.

Stewart claimed that the Wednesday statement was not the first time that Masing had meddled in SPDP’s affairs.

Sometime in March, the dissenting 5 and their supporters were seen at a PRS function in Kapit just a few weeks after they walked out of the SPDP Supreme Council meeting to protest against the removal of Datuk Sylvester Entri from the secretary-general post in February last year.

Entri has since been promoted to vice-president.

He said Masing should have instead reciprocated because SPDP members did not interfere in their (PRS’) call for the termination of former Pelagus assemblyman and information chief, Larry Sng, for alleged gross insubordination.

He claimed SPDP never meddled in the Sng affair.

“The SPDP 5 is asking to be sacked but Masing wants them to be retained. Why is he so interested? Why is he so motivated by the SPDP 5 affair? Did he keep Sng?” he asked.

He asked: “What is his (Masing) intention if not trying to ridicule the president of SPDP?”

SPDP Meradong deputy divisional chief Petrus Anis also alleged that Masing’s conflicting statement was calculated to ‘confuse members’.

Petrus, however, said he did not want to know what they had done to Sng who is now Youth Advisor in the Chief Minister’s Department, because that was PRS’ business.

Following a series of media outbursts against the party, Entri’s fate may lie in the hands of SPDP Supreme Council members who are meeting at 10am today.

SPDP senior vice-president Datuk Peter Nansian has also been issued a showcause letter last week for reaffirming the SPDP 5’s stand in losing confidence and faith in Mawan.

He has 30 days from the date of receipt of the letter to reply to the showcause letter, according to party officials yesterday.