THEY CAN GO: Mawan (seated middle) fielding questions from the press at the conference yesterday. Flanking the president is deputy president Datuk Peter Nyarok Entrie (left) and secretary-general Nelson Balang Rining.
KUCHING: The doors to SPDP for the remaining four members of the so-called ‘SPDP Five’ are closed, for good.
The decision of the party’s Supreme Council yesterday ends internal squabbles in the party which started some two years ago following the party’s decision not to reappoint the fifth member of the group, Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran, as secretary-general.
Entri was sacked from the party last November for gross insubordination.
And in booting the remaining four out of the party, president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom advised Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, and assemblymen Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie (Tasik Biru), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau) to stop professing support for the BN.
“Professing support for the BN at this juncture is not within the understanding, the definition, and the running of the BN framework,” he told a press conference after the supreme council met at party headquarters in Jalan Badruddin yesterday.
The supreme council’s latest decision is basically a formality because on Jan 6 the four had announced that they had “quit but not resigned” from the party.
However, their play with words, Mawan said, had created some confusion among party members.
“The decision (made yesterday) is made in response to the four elected representatives who ‘quit’ the party. When you said you have quit, but did not resign, there is a very thin line here, which would result in various conclusions from the ground.
“They (SPDP 5) have long disassociated themselves from party activities, almost to the point that it can be said that they are not together with the party anymore. In order not to cause further confusion from the ground that may constraint us from pursuing party activities, to prepare ourselves for the next parliamentary election, and to reconsolidate ourselves, we have decided to be formally separated.”
Mawan, who is also Minister of Social Development, added that the termination of the membership of the four would come into effect immediately.
He likened the two-year-old fiasco between the group and the party to an “estranged couple” who tried to reconcile but failed.
“At first, we thought that everything would quiet down with the sacking of Entri. Everybody seemed to have come together in professing their support to the BN. But somehow, this issue erupted again when these (four) YBs declared that they have quit but not resign from the party.
“As far as SPDP is concerned, they are no longer members of SPDP, and by implication, no longer members of the BN.”
He said the decision to terminate their membership was “regrettable”, and that the party had been holding back all this while in order not trot down this route.
“But at the end of the day, hard decisions have to be made in order to do justice to the party.”
Meanwhile, SPDP would be holding its triennial general meeting (TGM) on March 17 this year at the Bintulu Civic Centre.
Mawan said he hoped the TGM would become a congregation for all members to get together and to strengthen ties as the party braced itself for the 13th general election.
A close aide to Mawan, Paul Igai said they might also hold a party election this year, but for that they needed to get clearance from the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
Among those present at the press conference yesterday were SPDP deputy president Datuk Peter Nyarok Entrie, secretary-general Nelson Balang Rining, treasurer-general Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, senior vice president Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan, vice president Jelaing Mersat, and Supreme Council member Wong Judat.