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By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, July 6: Former Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Kuching branch chief Datuk Lily Yong Lee Lee will have to wait until November or December to learn the outcome of her appeal against her expulsion from the party over the Kenyalang Gold Card (KGC) issue, with the matter to be decided at the party’s year-end Central Committee (CC) meeting.
Speaking at a press conference today, Yong said she and her secretary, Voong Nam Jin, have submitted a 60-page appeal document to all 140 members of SUPP’s Central Committee, expressing hope that the committee would make a fair and impartial decision after reviewing the facts of the case.
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Asked what outcome she hopes for, Yong replied: “Give us back our innocence. That’s the most important thing.”
She said the party constitution provides for the appeal to be heard only during the Central Committee meeting, which is typically held at the end of the year.
“I don’t know about this because, according to the party constitution, the Central Committee meeting is held at the end of every year. It’s always in November or December,” she said, adding that the exact date has yet to be fixed.
Datuk Lily Yong Lee LeeYong and Voong were expelled by SUPP’s Central Working Committee after the Kuching branch publicly highlighted irregularities involving KGC holders whose records were not reflected in the Welfare Department’s system, rendering them ineligible to claim benefits under the programme.
The party maintained that the public statements had tarnished SUPP’s image, prompting the expulsions on March 16. Yong and Voong subsequently exercised their right to appeal within the 30-day period stipulated under the party constitution.
According to Yong, the appeal documents were sent by registered courier to most of the 140 Central Committee members, while those based around Kuching received them by hand to ensure they had sufficient time to review the submissions before the year-end meeting.
Yong maintained that the Kuching branch had acted in the public’s interest by informing KGC holders of possible registration issues.
She explained that the branch had initially identified 11 affected KGC holders within the Padungan constituency whose records required updating. After managing to contact and assist most of them, the branch decided to issue a public statement as it had no way of knowing how many more cardholders across the wider community might face similar problems.
“The only way is through the newspaper, to tell them, if you have the Kenyalang Gold Card, check whether your card needs to be updated and come to us. That was the reason. No bad intention,” she said.
She stressed that the branch’s intention was to help affected residents access benefits they were entitled to, rather than undermine the party.
“If I’ve done something very serious, there’s every reason to expel us. But this actually was with good intention,” she said, while declining to comment on whether the punishment was too harsh, saying she would leave it to the party and the public to judge.
Yong also revealed that the 60-page appeal was prepared by the Kuching branch’s task force established to investigate the KGC issue.
Although she no longer holds any party position pending the appeal, Yong said she remains in contact with members of the Kuching branch and occasionally visits its office.
“We are always in touch,” she said, adding that while she does not participate in branch meetings, she still drops by for coffee and believes the branch continues to function as a team.
Yong, who said she has been with SUPP for 48 years, concluded that she would refrain from commenting further while the appeal is ongoing.
Yong joined SUPP in 1978 and went on to serve as the SUPP Central Women Chairperson from 1987 to 1999. She was elected as the State Assemblywoman (ADUN) for Padungan, serving a full five-year term from 2001 to 2006.
In 2001, she was also elected as the SUPP Kuching Branch Chairperson, and led the division for 23 consecutive years until her expulsion in early 2026. — DayakDaily
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