SUPP man accuses PDP of undermining GPS unity over Batu Lintang seat

KUCHING (Sept 7): Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Batu Lintang branch has accused Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) of jeopardising the unity spirit within the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, after PDP expressed its intention of eyeing the Batu Lintang seat in the next state polls.

SUPP Batu Lintang Youth chief Liew Leong Yee pointed out that GPS “must look seriously into this internal issue”.

“PDP openly expressed its stand to contest the seat, this seriously violated GPS coalition’s cooperative spirit and such ‘internal termite’ issue has created a threat to GPS unity,” he said in a statement today.

This was in response to PDP vice-president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh’s remarks yesterday that the party would “appeal” to Gabungan Parti Sarawak GPS chairman Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who is also Sarawk Premier, to allocate the Batu Lintang seat to the party.

“We hope to claim Batu Lintang because it is rightfully ours when the then Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) candidate YB See Chee How won it in the last state election.

“Now that we have joined PDP, we hope that the seat be given to us,” Wong told The Borneo Post yesterday.

In response, Liew urged the GPS supreme council to look into this issue before it escalated to threaten the state ruling coalitioin’s political landscape, causing internal crisis and tension within the coalition.

He said Wong joined PDP only this year, yet the latter openly made it clear that his party will contest in Batu Lintang, a constituency which belongs to SUPP.

He felt that PDP should clarify whether Wong’s statement represented PDP or its president’s view, and whether the party would allow Wong to come out with such a statement.

“It is a ridiculous joke for Wong to say that the elected representative can leave a political party, but the won seat still belongs to the party, because he as a senior political leader, he himself also never gives up the won seats when he led a few elected representatives, who won under BN banner but left SUPP,” said Liew.

He said Wong had led an opposition political party to challenge GPS before deciding to join GPS-PDP.

He opined that Wong and the opposition party that he used to lead had shown that they had no principles and lacked stance.

“Worse, Wong is not a member of GPS supreme council, he has no rights to announce any contest of seat for GPS coalition.

“He just can’t use his ages and political experiences as an excuse to override GPS’ principle, and do as he wished,” Liew added.

He also pledged to defend SUPP’s rights to contest in Batu Lintang, stressing that SUPP “is the party that always serves at the grassroots level, serving the people”.