As we all know that SUPP lost 12 of its seats including the seat held by its President George Chan to the DAP.
Only two of the Chinese seats were retained, that is, the Bawan Asan seat by Wong Soon Koh and Senadin by Lee Kim Shin. Even then SUPP almost lost Senadin to PKR winning by 58 votes only in a constituency of 22,432 voters.
SUPP therefore depends on Dayak representatives of Johnichal Rayong of Engkilili, Francis Harden (Simanggang), Jerip Susil (Bengoh) and Ranum Mina (Opar) to articulate and fight for SUPP interests (read Chinese interests).
Mostly like to be appointed to the Taib cabinet are Wong Soon Koh and Lee Kim Shin as full ministers.
Francis Harden will continue to be an assistant minister and Jerip will be the new assistant minister. It is possible for Ranum to be appointed another assistant minister.
Rayong will be given a post as political secretary, or a director in government-linked companies. These will be their rewards for them to look after the Chinese interests.
The Chinese voters and community have rejected SUPP leaders. Only Dayak voters have voted for the SUPP leaders.
Had it not been for the substantial number of Dayak voters in Senadin (4,805 Dayaks) and Bawan Asan (5,834 Ibans), Lee and Wong would have lost.
The party was saved by the Dayak community, although previously SUPP had not only neglected the interests of the Dayaks but had also allowed its cronies to land-grab Dayak native customary rights (NCR) land. Examples of NCR land in Bau, Lundu, Simnaggang and Engkilili have been taken away from them and leased to SUPP-related crony companies.
So given a bigger voice in SUPP, the Dayak reps could also play a very vital role in the party urging the party (i) to give more government contracts, government posts like mayors, councillors, political secretaries, and directors in government-linked companies to the Dayaks, and (ii) to ask for more development funds to be channeled to the rural areas under SUPP.
Don’t distribute vegetable seeds, fish fry, pieces of zinc and chicks to the Dayak voters. They deserve better than that. Construct better and tar-sealed roads, electricity, clean water, medical services, schools, and etc.
So if you fail to carry out all these, then you are mere puppets in SUPP.
From now on, the public are watching you.
Showing posts with label George Chan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label George Chan. Show all posts
Monday, April 18
Friday, April 15
The inside story of SUPP
By a former SUPP member
WHY SUPP DESERVES TO BE PUNISHED I am writing this from outside Sarawak as I migrated with my family to Australia last year.
I spent most of my working life in Miri and Kuching and as a businessmen, was forced to socialise with SUPP and other political leaders.
I got to be quite close to them, and became one of their “supporters” who was “required” to “help” during elections. I would like to appeal to all the voters, especially the Chinese voters, to vote for the opposition and not the SUPP.
Let give just relate some of the home truths about SUPP
1. SUPP under George Chan (GC) is not working for the Chinese but Taib Mahmud (TM). Forget the words but look at the action. TM took away the Kuching Mayor’s post and gave it to a civil servant (died) without consulting SUPP.
Before the announcement I was at a dinner with George Chan, Lee Kim Shim and Alan Sim (AS) and GC hinted that AS would make an excellent mayor for Kuching. AS was smiling so hard that you would have guessed that he was 100% sure that he would be the mayor. But TM simply gave it to someone else and GC could not do anything about it.
2. When the 2006 state elections came about, I was asked to “donate” to SUPP campaign in Kuching. My Miri branch manager told me that the SUPP Miri people (Andy Chia, Datuk Wee and gang) “asked” for my company vehicles to be “loan” to them for their campaign. When the issue of land lease came up, GC told us in a dinner function that he will “speak” to CM and CM would make an announcement at a unity dinner in Kuching.
I was forced to buy 3 tables at this dinner at Crowne Plaza. I was sitting a meter table away from the VIP table and I saw GC begging the CM to announce that he would renew the lease. CM just told GC, in front of everyone, I will announce in my own time.
Can you image the SUPP president’s shame? In front of the Chinese community, he cannot even get the CM to make a “hint” about the land lease. After the elections, I was having dinner with GC’s supporters in Miri and he told in a serious tone that CM refused to make the announcement because he wanted to “punish” the Chinese/SUPP for making “too much noise?
This meant that TM had already destroyed Iban unity by splitting PRS/PBDS into two factions and he wanted the Chinese to be the same while he prepared his children to come in and take over. This man even hinted that TM only dared to do this because GC was the SUPP president. GC cannot stand up to TM on any issue. He just gives in on every crucial issue. Why? I will tell you later.
3. During the 2006 state elections, one of SUPP’s biggest financial contributors, Ting Chek Si (TCS), a tycoon from Sibu, was not selected to defend his Meradong seat. His crime? TCS was in a business dispute with TM’s brother over the Sanyan group of companies.
TCS has sued TM’s brother for “oppression” and revealed that he gave TM’s brother 51% of the shares in the company in return for TM’s timber concessions. TM told George Chan to dump TCS and GC, like a good running dog, did as he was told. This is despite the fact that Meradong people wanted TCS because he was using his own money to provide help to Meradong.
The SUPP Central working committee even endorsed TCS’s name as candidate. What kind of party leader is GC if he dumped his own men and listen to PBB”s leader? Is SUPP a sub-branch of PBB? What is worse when TCS protested to GC, GC lied to his face straight and told him to keep quiet and TCS will be given another chance as senator. Of course GC did not keep his promise, he gave the senatorship to Sim Kheng Hui.
4. This is not the first time GC lied openly to his colleagues. In 2004 General Elections, he promised Law Hing Ding (LHD) that he will be nominated as the Minister but for the last term. George even put this in writing. After the elections, George nominated Datuk Peter Chin. Is it any wonder that LHD called GC a liar in the Chinese press and GC did not dare to sue him? If George Chan is a man of honour as he says he is, why does he not sue LHD for defamation? LHD even went to the extent of writing a complaint letter to all the SUPP CWC members and gave a copy to the PM and TM. He has documents to prove that GC is lying and backstabbed him.
5. You do not need to look at GC’s political games to know he is a fake. Just look at the way he behaves towards his first wife, Judy. He cheated on for some many years that she ran away. He had an open affair with Christina Foo of Priority One and gave the company a lot of state government consultancies.
During the search and rescue mission for the late Dr. Judson in the Kelabit highlands, he visited the place often to “direct” the search. The real reason was that he was chasing a Kelabit girl and took her to KL to be his mistress. Just ask anyone in the highlands and they will confirm this story. This girl is now driving a BMW and living in a semi-D in KL.
What kind of man would use a moment of anguish over a helicopter crash to think about sex and chasing girls. Is this a “leader” of the Sarawak Chinese community? Even worse, he allowed his daughter (the most beautiful one with white skin) to marry TM’s son.
When Sulaiman turned out to be playboy and started to hit the daughter, GC actually told the daughter to “bear it” as Sulaiman could ensure that she has a luxurious life. When Sulaiman heard this, he hit the poor daughter even harder and send her off to live in the states leaving him free to chase all sorts of girls in KL and Manila.
As a father, how could GC do all these things? The question is why? Why does GC do all these underhanded things? The answer is simple. The love of power and wealth.
He can only get power and wealth by being a running dog to TM and this is exactly what he has done. He has made SUPP weak because TM wants SUPP to be weak while the Melanau dynasty rules forever.
GC wants to enjoy the good things in life like fine wine (he has one of the finest wine collections in Malaysia) and women. He can only do this as deputy CM. With a leader like George Chan, who lies to his own senior party members, and reports to PBB and TM. Can we elect SUPP? If SUPP were to come out and say that it is a sub-branch of PBB, at least I will consider it as they will be telling the truth for the first time.
After all these nonsense I decided that I had better migrate. I do not want my children to deal with this sort of “leaders” and live in a country where the Chinese leaders are forever “kowtowing” to someone else.
I am not writing this out of spite. I encourage readers in Sarawak and elsewhere to investigate if what I say here is true. Even if 50% is true, don’t you think SUPP deserves to be punished?
The only way to get rid of George Chan and his group of “PBB-SUPP” members is to vote out SUPP until GC loses power. There is no other way.
I took the easy way out by migrating but that does not mean I do not love Sarawak or care for the future of Sarawak. It simply means I am too old. I am telling his story so that the younger generation will know the truth.
WHY SUPP DESERVES TO BE PUNISHED I am writing this from outside Sarawak as I migrated with my family to Australia last year.
I spent most of my working life in Miri and Kuching and as a businessmen, was forced to socialise with SUPP and other political leaders.
I got to be quite close to them, and became one of their “supporters” who was “required” to “help” during elections. I would like to appeal to all the voters, especially the Chinese voters, to vote for the opposition and not the SUPP.
Let give just relate some of the home truths about SUPP
1. SUPP under George Chan (GC) is not working for the Chinese but Taib Mahmud (TM). Forget the words but look at the action. TM took away the Kuching Mayor’s post and gave it to a civil servant (died) without consulting SUPP.
Before the announcement I was at a dinner with George Chan, Lee Kim Shim and Alan Sim (AS) and GC hinted that AS would make an excellent mayor for Kuching. AS was smiling so hard that you would have guessed that he was 100% sure that he would be the mayor. But TM simply gave it to someone else and GC could not do anything about it.
2. When the 2006 state elections came about, I was asked to “donate” to SUPP campaign in Kuching. My Miri branch manager told me that the SUPP Miri people (Andy Chia, Datuk Wee and gang) “asked” for my company vehicles to be “loan” to them for their campaign. When the issue of land lease came up, GC told us in a dinner function that he will “speak” to CM and CM would make an announcement at a unity dinner in Kuching.
I was forced to buy 3 tables at this dinner at Crowne Plaza. I was sitting a meter table away from the VIP table and I saw GC begging the CM to announce that he would renew the lease. CM just told GC, in front of everyone, I will announce in my own time.
Can you image the SUPP president’s shame? In front of the Chinese community, he cannot even get the CM to make a “hint” about the land lease. After the elections, I was having dinner with GC’s supporters in Miri and he told in a serious tone that CM refused to make the announcement because he wanted to “punish” the Chinese/SUPP for making “too much noise?
This meant that TM had already destroyed Iban unity by splitting PRS/PBDS into two factions and he wanted the Chinese to be the same while he prepared his children to come in and take over. This man even hinted that TM only dared to do this because GC was the SUPP president. GC cannot stand up to TM on any issue. He just gives in on every crucial issue. Why? I will tell you later.
3. During the 2006 state elections, one of SUPP’s biggest financial contributors, Ting Chek Si (TCS), a tycoon from Sibu, was not selected to defend his Meradong seat. His crime? TCS was in a business dispute with TM’s brother over the Sanyan group of companies.
TCS has sued TM’s brother for “oppression” and revealed that he gave TM’s brother 51% of the shares in the company in return for TM’s timber concessions. TM told George Chan to dump TCS and GC, like a good running dog, did as he was told. This is despite the fact that Meradong people wanted TCS because he was using his own money to provide help to Meradong.
The SUPP Central working committee even endorsed TCS’s name as candidate. What kind of party leader is GC if he dumped his own men and listen to PBB”s leader? Is SUPP a sub-branch of PBB? What is worse when TCS protested to GC, GC lied to his face straight and told him to keep quiet and TCS will be given another chance as senator. Of course GC did not keep his promise, he gave the senatorship to Sim Kheng Hui.
4. This is not the first time GC lied openly to his colleagues. In 2004 General Elections, he promised Law Hing Ding (LHD) that he will be nominated as the Minister but for the last term. George even put this in writing. After the elections, George nominated Datuk Peter Chin. Is it any wonder that LHD called GC a liar in the Chinese press and GC did not dare to sue him? If George Chan is a man of honour as he says he is, why does he not sue LHD for defamation? LHD even went to the extent of writing a complaint letter to all the SUPP CWC members and gave a copy to the PM and TM. He has documents to prove that GC is lying and backstabbed him.
5. You do not need to look at GC’s political games to know he is a fake. Just look at the way he behaves towards his first wife, Judy. He cheated on for some many years that she ran away. He had an open affair with Christina Foo of Priority One and gave the company a lot of state government consultancies.
During the search and rescue mission for the late Dr. Judson in the Kelabit highlands, he visited the place often to “direct” the search. The real reason was that he was chasing a Kelabit girl and took her to KL to be his mistress. Just ask anyone in the highlands and they will confirm this story. This girl is now driving a BMW and living in a semi-D in KL.
What kind of man would use a moment of anguish over a helicopter crash to think about sex and chasing girls. Is this a “leader” of the Sarawak Chinese community? Even worse, he allowed his daughter (the most beautiful one with white skin) to marry TM’s son.
When Sulaiman turned out to be playboy and started to hit the daughter, GC actually told the daughter to “bear it” as Sulaiman could ensure that she has a luxurious life. When Sulaiman heard this, he hit the poor daughter even harder and send her off to live in the states leaving him free to chase all sorts of girls in KL and Manila.
As a father, how could GC do all these things? The question is why? Why does GC do all these underhanded things? The answer is simple. The love of power and wealth.
He can only get power and wealth by being a running dog to TM and this is exactly what he has done. He has made SUPP weak because TM wants SUPP to be weak while the Melanau dynasty rules forever.
GC wants to enjoy the good things in life like fine wine (he has one of the finest wine collections in Malaysia) and women. He can only do this as deputy CM. With a leader like George Chan, who lies to his own senior party members, and reports to PBB and TM. Can we elect SUPP? If SUPP were to come out and say that it is a sub-branch of PBB, at least I will consider it as they will be telling the truth for the first time.
After all these nonsense I decided that I had better migrate. I do not want my children to deal with this sort of “leaders” and live in a country where the Chinese leaders are forever “kowtowing” to someone else.
I am not writing this out of spite. I encourage readers in Sarawak and elsewhere to investigate if what I say here is true. Even if 50% is true, don’t you think SUPP deserves to be punished?
The only way to get rid of George Chan and his group of “PBB-SUPP” members is to vote out SUPP until GC loses power. There is no other way.
I took the easy way out by migrating but that does not mean I do not love Sarawak or care for the future of Sarawak. It simply means I am too old. I am telling his story so that the younger generation will know the truth.
Saturday, January 29
Scorned ex-wives could ruin ‘Randy’ Rayong’s political career
(This story has appeared in Free Malaysia Today on Jan 24, 2011 and is reproduced for the readers of The Broken Shield)
KUCHING: Are conversions and polygamy the new political ball game in Sarawak? It appears that a rising number of political aspirants and have-beens are rumoured to be converting from Christianity to Islam to better their chances of currying favours with Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, who allegedly discriminates against non-Muslims.
Whether this new game plan will work for them in the coming state polls is left to be seen. But political observers are betting that a number of Barisan Nasional candidates “will fall” in the polls for these very reasons.
Meanwhile, the “hottest” gossip to hit Kuching streets is Engkilili state assemblyman Johnical Rayong’s recent conversion. Most of his constituents were in shocked disbelief at his conversion that is until his angry wife, Patricia Dexter Sudok, a Christian staff nurse in Kuching, spewed her angst.
She reportedly leant of her husband’s infidelity, marriage and conversion from an SMS message he sent her.
According to the reports, Rayong was caught for “khalwat” and was forced to marry one Kamasiah Abdul Jalil, a divorcee in her 30s with two children, who works in the chief minister’s office.
Rayong had apparently converted on Jan 29, 2010. (was it coincidence then that partyless Rayong who had waited four long years outside Taib’s door was suddenly accepted into the fold in 2010, courtesy of Sarawak United people’s Party whose decision to take him in has cost them dearly?)
Deceiving the Dayaks
The story gets better, Patricia also said that Rayong had been harassing her to return and campaign alongside him as a “Christian couple” in order to mislead his Dayak voters.
Rayong and apparently quite a few other “new converts” such as Mambong MP James Dawos Mamit and Marudi assemblyman Sylvester Enterie are seeking to conceal their new status from their Dayak constituents.
Dawos, incidentally, is Deputy Tourism Minister and Enterie is an Assistant Minister in the Sarawak cabinet.
All this is more fodder for the opposition, it appears. In the case of Rayong, who seems to have a cup-board-full of “skeletons”, he may have lost it all even before the race. According to a SUPP leader, the party is uncomfortable with Rayong’s “history” and is re-assessing his candidacy.
“The voters in Engkilili are not against him converting to Islam. Far from it. In fact, Christians and Muslims in Engkilili sit side by side in coffee shops or restaurants. They also visit each other during Hari Raya and Christmas celebrations. They always live in harmony.
“But they do not like him because he failed to inform them (of his new status) as well as his failure to look after his two Iban wives,” said the leader who refused to be named.
Rayong, he claimed, has neglected his two families. His two wives were said to have complained to Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang. They alleged Rayong had failed to come “home” for the past three months or so. His first wife, Patricia, is related to Jabu.
So angry and disappointed are his wives that they are prepared to campaign against Rayong if he does defend his Engkilili seat.
Besides his scorned wives, Rayong will also have to contend with issues over the authenticity of his degree “as a medical doctor” and his political track record.
His opponents have claimed that Rayong is only a doctor of homeopathy, but had presented himself as a medical doctor and opened up a clinic where he dispensed medicines and treated patients.
They alleged that when the authorities demanded for his certificates, Rayong closed shop. It has also raised questions about his integrity.
In the 2006 state election, Rayong won the Engkilili seat on a Sarawak National Party (SNAP) ticket. During his campaign, he attacked BN coalition partner SUPP and its candidate Jonathan Krai Pilo.
But less than a month after his win, Rayong declared that he was independent and a BN-friendly representative. His angry supporters called him a “political frog” who is only interested in his own personal affairs.
He subsequently applied to join an off-shoot of SNAP, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) led by William, Mawan Ikom. His application was initially accepted in 2007, but faced with strong opposition from SUPP and Taib’s Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), he was forced to resign.
There was also a time when he wanted to join Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) if the Engkilili seat was to be given to PRS under a swapping arrangement with SUPP. But that arrangement failed to materialise and as a result, he lost interest In PRS.
SUPP reassessing Rayong
In the meantime, Rayong had applied to become a SUPP member and for two years he was left waiting. Then suddenly in September 2010, SUPP approved his application, much against the wishes of majority of its members.
The SUPP’s decision resulted in the resignation of the Engkilili branch chairman and the former five-term elected representative, Toh Heng San, from the party.
But by joining SUPP, Rayong has left behind at least 60% of his supporters who were either members of SNAP or the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) and supporters of the stillborn Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) of which he was the protem deputy president.
In fact, his supporters are still angry with him for switching parties as they had voted him in on a SNAP ticket. Many SUPP members in Engkilili, too, may not vote for him as they consider him a “frog” that has upset their branch leaders including Toh and Krai.
After more than 20 years as elected representative, Toh has a strong following not only among the Chinese, but also among the Ibans in Engkilili. Toh and Krai’s supporters will certainly not vote for Rayong for his criticisms against SUPP and for neglecting the welfare and interest of the Dayak community during the last election.
Today, Rayong joins the party that he had severely condemned. In September, when accepting Rayong into SUPP’s fold, the party president George Chan described him as the most “suitable”candidate to represent the party as he was not only close to the people, but also popular with the rakyat.
Now, in the wake of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s brazen command to give him “only winnable candidates”, Chan is being forced to acknowledge Rayong’s weaknesses and eat his own words of the latter’s “suitability” as Engkilili 2011 candidate.
KUCHING: Are conversions and polygamy the new political ball game in Sarawak? It appears that a rising number of political aspirants and have-beens are rumoured to be converting from Christianity to Islam to better their chances of currying favours with Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, who allegedly discriminates against non-Muslims.
Whether this new game plan will work for them in the coming state polls is left to be seen. But political observers are betting that a number of Barisan Nasional candidates “will fall” in the polls for these very reasons.
Meanwhile, the “hottest” gossip to hit Kuching streets is Engkilili state assemblyman Johnical Rayong’s recent conversion. Most of his constituents were in shocked disbelief at his conversion that is until his angry wife, Patricia Dexter Sudok, a Christian staff nurse in Kuching, spewed her angst.
She reportedly leant of her husband’s infidelity, marriage and conversion from an SMS message he sent her.
According to the reports, Rayong was caught for “khalwat” and was forced to marry one Kamasiah Abdul Jalil, a divorcee in her 30s with two children, who works in the chief minister’s office.
Rayong had apparently converted on Jan 29, 2010. (was it coincidence then that partyless Rayong who had waited four long years outside Taib’s door was suddenly accepted into the fold in 2010, courtesy of Sarawak United people’s Party whose decision to take him in has cost them dearly?)
Deceiving the Dayaks
The story gets better, Patricia also said that Rayong had been harassing her to return and campaign alongside him as a “Christian couple” in order to mislead his Dayak voters.
Rayong and apparently quite a few other “new converts” such as Mambong MP James Dawos Mamit and Marudi assemblyman Sylvester Enterie are seeking to conceal their new status from their Dayak constituents.
Dawos, incidentally, is Deputy Tourism Minister and Enterie is an Assistant Minister in the Sarawak cabinet.
All this is more fodder for the opposition, it appears. In the case of Rayong, who seems to have a cup-board-full of “skeletons”, he may have lost it all even before the race. According to a SUPP leader, the party is uncomfortable with Rayong’s “history” and is re-assessing his candidacy.
“The voters in Engkilili are not against him converting to Islam. Far from it. In fact, Christians and Muslims in Engkilili sit side by side in coffee shops or restaurants. They also visit each other during Hari Raya and Christmas celebrations. They always live in harmony.
“But they do not like him because he failed to inform them (of his new status) as well as his failure to look after his two Iban wives,” said the leader who refused to be named.
Rayong, he claimed, has neglected his two families. His two wives were said to have complained to Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang. They alleged Rayong had failed to come “home” for the past three months or so. His first wife, Patricia, is related to Jabu.
So angry and disappointed are his wives that they are prepared to campaign against Rayong if he does defend his Engkilili seat.
Besides his scorned wives, Rayong will also have to contend with issues over the authenticity of his degree “as a medical doctor” and his political track record.
His opponents have claimed that Rayong is only a doctor of homeopathy, but had presented himself as a medical doctor and opened up a clinic where he dispensed medicines and treated patients.
They alleged that when the authorities demanded for his certificates, Rayong closed shop. It has also raised questions about his integrity.
In the 2006 state election, Rayong won the Engkilili seat on a Sarawak National Party (SNAP) ticket. During his campaign, he attacked BN coalition partner SUPP and its candidate Jonathan Krai Pilo.
But less than a month after his win, Rayong declared that he was independent and a BN-friendly representative. His angry supporters called him a “political frog” who is only interested in his own personal affairs.
He subsequently applied to join an off-shoot of SNAP, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) led by William, Mawan Ikom. His application was initially accepted in 2007, but faced with strong opposition from SUPP and Taib’s Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), he was forced to resign.
There was also a time when he wanted to join Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) if the Engkilili seat was to be given to PRS under a swapping arrangement with SUPP. But that arrangement failed to materialise and as a result, he lost interest In PRS.
SUPP reassessing Rayong
In the meantime, Rayong had applied to become a SUPP member and for two years he was left waiting. Then suddenly in September 2010, SUPP approved his application, much against the wishes of majority of its members.
The SUPP’s decision resulted in the resignation of the Engkilili branch chairman and the former five-term elected representative, Toh Heng San, from the party.
But by joining SUPP, Rayong has left behind at least 60% of his supporters who were either members of SNAP or the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) and supporters of the stillborn Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) of which he was the protem deputy president.
In fact, his supporters are still angry with him for switching parties as they had voted him in on a SNAP ticket. Many SUPP members in Engkilili, too, may not vote for him as they consider him a “frog” that has upset their branch leaders including Toh and Krai.
After more than 20 years as elected representative, Toh has a strong following not only among the Chinese, but also among the Ibans in Engkilili. Toh and Krai’s supporters will certainly not vote for Rayong for his criticisms against SUPP and for neglecting the welfare and interest of the Dayak community during the last election.
Today, Rayong joins the party that he had severely condemned. In September, when accepting Rayong into SUPP’s fold, the party president George Chan described him as the most “suitable”candidate to represent the party as he was not only close to the people, but also popular with the rakyat.
Now, in the wake of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s brazen command to give him “only winnable candidates”, Chan is being forced to acknowledge Rayong’s weaknesses and eat his own words of the latter’s “suitability” as Engkilili 2011 candidate.
Sunday, September 5
The Sunday Star headline: Give us our due
Quoted by The Sunday Star, SUPP president George Chan said in Miri that the Chinese community cannot remain silent anymore about their unhappiness with issues that affect them.
They have to be more vocal and demanding and he hoped the government would give the people what is due to them and correct any unfairness.
Chan said he would convene a meeting with SUPP leaders to discuss their next course of action to fight for the rights of the Chinese and their position in the local political scene.
“We must not be afraid to speak our minds any more. We must correct any injustice and unfairness and not remain silent, if you feel that there are things that are not right and that the Chinese are not getting their due, join us SUPP and get things corrected.
“We must let the government know what we feel. I am sure the government will not deny what is due to the Chinese,” he said.
Suddenly Chan and SUPP are very vocal. They have to otherwise they will be wiped out in the coming state election. The writing is already on the wall.
By the way, the way Chan said his piece, as if the government has not helped them. Look at its representation at the federal level, it has five MPs consisting of one full minister, two deputy ministers, and at the state level, it has two ministers, and five assistant ministers, a number of political secretary and mayors.
Many of its cronies have been given timber concessions and provisional leases to plant oil palm in Dayaks’ native customary rights land.
Sibu, Sarikei, Miri and certain parts of Kuching are “owned” by SUPP where its cronies are given huge government contracts.
The question here is: Is SUPP effective in looking after the interests of the Chinese? The answer is “yes” and “no”.
Yes, it has helped many of the elite Chinese businessmen, and during almost 30-year of Abdul Taib Mahmud’s chief ministership, some 2,000 Chinese have become billionaires, not millionaires, but billionaires, and hundreds of Chinese big companies have become rich overnight.
No, thousands of small Chinese contractors have closed shops as there are no businesses for them. Small and big businesses have been taken by SUPP’s cronies. These “small” men in the Chinese community are blaming SUPP for its failure to help them. Many Chinese are landless, and SUPP cannot help them. Judging by the mood on the ground, they are certain to teach SUPP a lesson in the coming election. SUPP leaders know about it. That is why SUPP leaders threaten to quit BN, hoping that BN under Najib at federal and under Taib at state levels will do something. They are now like a cry baby.
But do you think they will quit? But to me, quitting or no quitting SUPP is in a quandary. Quitting from BN like “mati apai” (like the death of a father) and staying put in BN like “mati indai” (like the death of a mother).
This is where the Dayaks can come in and play smart politics. Like the Chinese, the Dayaks should also make demands. For the past 44 years or so, the Dayaks have been neglected – no roads, no electricity and no clean water to their longhouse. For the past 44 years, our cries have felt on deaf ears. Kapit for example has no road connection with other towns in Sarawak. Only now we have heard about the promise to build roads.
To win in Sarawak, BN will have to rely on the Dayaks. Do not be too naïve and be satisfied to receive only RM30.00 in exchange for your votes and suffer the next five years. Think of your children’s future. Think of your native customary rights land. And if Taib continues to ignore us, we also vote him out. The power is in our hands. – The Broken Shield.
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
They have to be more vocal and demanding and he hoped the government would give the people what is due to them and correct any unfairness.
Chan said he would convene a meeting with SUPP leaders to discuss their next course of action to fight for the rights of the Chinese and their position in the local political scene.
“We must not be afraid to speak our minds any more. We must correct any injustice and unfairness and not remain silent, if you feel that there are things that are not right and that the Chinese are not getting their due, join us SUPP and get things corrected.
“We must let the government know what we feel. I am sure the government will not deny what is due to the Chinese,” he said.
Suddenly Chan and SUPP are very vocal. They have to otherwise they will be wiped out in the coming state election. The writing is already on the wall.
By the way, the way Chan said his piece, as if the government has not helped them. Look at its representation at the federal level, it has five MPs consisting of one full minister, two deputy ministers, and at the state level, it has two ministers, and five assistant ministers, a number of political secretary and mayors.
Many of its cronies have been given timber concessions and provisional leases to plant oil palm in Dayaks’ native customary rights land.
Sibu, Sarikei, Miri and certain parts of Kuching are “owned” by SUPP where its cronies are given huge government contracts.
The question here is: Is SUPP effective in looking after the interests of the Chinese? The answer is “yes” and “no”.
Yes, it has helped many of the elite Chinese businessmen, and during almost 30-year of Abdul Taib Mahmud’s chief ministership, some 2,000 Chinese have become billionaires, not millionaires, but billionaires, and hundreds of Chinese big companies have become rich overnight.
No, thousands of small Chinese contractors have closed shops as there are no businesses for them. Small and big businesses have been taken by SUPP’s cronies. These “small” men in the Chinese community are blaming SUPP for its failure to help them. Many Chinese are landless, and SUPP cannot help them. Judging by the mood on the ground, they are certain to teach SUPP a lesson in the coming election. SUPP leaders know about it. That is why SUPP leaders threaten to quit BN, hoping that BN under Najib at federal and under Taib at state levels will do something. They are now like a cry baby.
But do you think they will quit? But to me, quitting or no quitting SUPP is in a quandary. Quitting from BN like “mati apai” (like the death of a father) and staying put in BN like “mati indai” (like the death of a mother).
This is where the Dayaks can come in and play smart politics. Like the Chinese, the Dayaks should also make demands. For the past 44 years or so, the Dayaks have been neglected – no roads, no electricity and no clean water to their longhouse. For the past 44 years, our cries have felt on deaf ears. Kapit for example has no road connection with other towns in Sarawak. Only now we have heard about the promise to build roads.
To win in Sarawak, BN will have to rely on the Dayaks. Do not be too naïve and be satisfied to receive only RM30.00 in exchange for your votes and suffer the next five years. Think of your children’s future. Think of your native customary rights land. And if Taib continues to ignore us, we also vote him out. The power is in our hands. – The Broken Shield.
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
Thursday, July 29
More blows expected for SUPP?
ENGKILILI: Sarawak United People’s Party is expected to receive more quit letters from the party in the next few weeks or so, judging by the ‘planned’ resignations that are taking place, said a source from the SUPP Engkilili branch.
“You have heard some from Sibu, Miri and Bengoh who have resigned from the party,” he said.
“We are supposed to have synchronized resignations from all these branches, but they cannot wait any longer,” he said.
The source who pleaded not to be identified said that for Engkilili Branch more than half of the committee members and a few hundreds of ordinary members are just waiting for the right time to quit the party.
“We have our meeting on Sunday afternoon regarding our decision to quit the party. It is just a matter of time,” the source said.
“Please do not expose my name as this is very sensitive and explosive,” he stressed.
“Like our friends in the Bengoh Branch and else where, we also have no more confidence in the leadership of the party. Many of the things that the current leadership promised us did not materialise,” he said.
“We will not join any party because we still love the party. But we do not like the leadership because it is weak and incapable of helping the people,” he said, predicting that the current leadership will lead us to disastrous results in the coming election.
He confirmed that the Engkilili chairman Toh Heng San had received a show-cause letter for threatening to resign from the party if the independent state assemblyman for Engkilili Johnichal Rayong was to be nominated by the party to contest in the coming election.
Toh, he said, refused to reply to the show-cause letter.
The committee members of the Engkilili branch have been embroiled in a dispute over the decision of the party to admit Rayong who contested and defeated SUPP-BN candidate Jonathan Krai in the 2006 state election.
Toh and some of the committee members are against Rayong’s admission, while his deputy Nyambong Anak Maweng and branch secretary Sibat Krutap and some members are pro-Rayong.
Until now the SUPP leadership has not made any decision whether to accept Rayong or not.
Rayong was a Sarawak National Party candidate, but resigned from the party after the electoral victory. He has been knocking on the doors of the component parties of the Barisan Nasional.
The same source disclosed that committee members from branches in Sibu, Sarikei, Meradong and Kuching are also waiting for the right time to resign from the party.
“Like us, they are waiting to explode the bomb,” he said, pointing out that all these branches are members of the 28 branches that wanted George Chan to step down as president.
This was written in the 2006 Forward Plan for Chan to step down, but until now he is still the leader of the party, he added.
These branches which are aligned to Soon Choon Teck, the state assemblyman for Dudong, had also submitted a joint requisition in 2009 calling for a special delegates conference to solve the problems affecting the party.
But the president and the central working committee rejected their demand although they had the required number to ask for the SDC.
On Saturday, 14 committee members of the Bengoh branch and six ordinary members had submitted their letters of resignation to the secretary general Sim Kheng Hui, citing unhappiness and loss of confidence on the leadership as the main reason.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the branch, Jerip Susil said that the resignation of some of the committee members from his branch had caught him by surprise.
“Nobody told me about their resignation, but I will sit down and try to persuade them to reconsider their decision,” he said.
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
“You have heard some from Sibu, Miri and Bengoh who have resigned from the party,” he said.
“We are supposed to have synchronized resignations from all these branches, but they cannot wait any longer,” he said.
The source who pleaded not to be identified said that for Engkilili Branch more than half of the committee members and a few hundreds of ordinary members are just waiting for the right time to quit the party.
“We have our meeting on Sunday afternoon regarding our decision to quit the party. It is just a matter of time,” the source said.
“Please do not expose my name as this is very sensitive and explosive,” he stressed.
“Like our friends in the Bengoh Branch and else where, we also have no more confidence in the leadership of the party. Many of the things that the current leadership promised us did not materialise,” he said.
“We will not join any party because we still love the party. But we do not like the leadership because it is weak and incapable of helping the people,” he said, predicting that the current leadership will lead us to disastrous results in the coming election.
He confirmed that the Engkilili chairman Toh Heng San had received a show-cause letter for threatening to resign from the party if the independent state assemblyman for Engkilili Johnichal Rayong was to be nominated by the party to contest in the coming election.
Toh, he said, refused to reply to the show-cause letter.
The committee members of the Engkilili branch have been embroiled in a dispute over the decision of the party to admit Rayong who contested and defeated SUPP-BN candidate Jonathan Krai in the 2006 state election.
Toh and some of the committee members are against Rayong’s admission, while his deputy Nyambong Anak Maweng and branch secretary Sibat Krutap and some members are pro-Rayong.
Until now the SUPP leadership has not made any decision whether to accept Rayong or not.
Rayong was a Sarawak National Party candidate, but resigned from the party after the electoral victory. He has been knocking on the doors of the component parties of the Barisan Nasional.
The same source disclosed that committee members from branches in Sibu, Sarikei, Meradong and Kuching are also waiting for the right time to resign from the party.
“Like us, they are waiting to explode the bomb,” he said, pointing out that all these branches are members of the 28 branches that wanted George Chan to step down as president.
This was written in the 2006 Forward Plan for Chan to step down, but until now he is still the leader of the party, he added.
These branches which are aligned to Soon Choon Teck, the state assemblyman for Dudong, had also submitted a joint requisition in 2009 calling for a special delegates conference to solve the problems affecting the party.
But the president and the central working committee rejected their demand although they had the required number to ask for the SDC.
On Saturday, 14 committee members of the Bengoh branch and six ordinary members had submitted their letters of resignation to the secretary general Sim Kheng Hui, citing unhappiness and loss of confidence on the leadership as the main reason.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the branch, Jerip Susil said that the resignation of some of the committee members from his branch had caught him by surprise.
“Nobody told me about their resignation, but I will sit down and try to persuade them to reconsider their decision,” he said.
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
Saturday, April 4
News from Batang Ai (Part 11)
The daily update of news
from Batang Ai by-election
----------------------------------
1. MAFREL (Malaysia for Fair & Free Election) statement
I am now backed in Kuching after spending 8 days in Batang Ai observing the by-election conducts. And as far as our term of references (which is very limited) is concerned we are more or less done, 3 days before polling.
Why I said we are done, because there is nothing to observe anymore. What happen in the next few days will be of no different. Riggings in this by-election are rampant and sad to say that the words “CLEANS, FAIR & FREE ELECTION does not exist in Batang Ai by-election vocabulary.
Our report and photographs taken during our stint in Batang Ai have been compiled and submitted to our Head Quarters in KL.
MAFREL (Batang Ai) had reached a conclusion that Batang Ai by-election is where politic is at its worst. It’s here that money politics rear its ugly head. By all accounts I dared says that Batang Ai by-election is the dirtiest, most unfair & expensive in Malaysian election history.
We observed that:
1) During nomination day (29/3/09) we felt that the police should not have confisticated PAS flags, only returned after vehement protest from PKR. What puzzled us most was why the police allowed SUPP flags among the BN crowd. Report and photos taken during the incident has been submitted to HQ KL for further action.
2) BN candidate election posters were pestered a day before the nomination date. This is a gross defiance of the by-election conduct. We had taken photographs of those posters at Ng. Mepi longhouse. This was by no mean an isolated case because we found the same in other longhouses.
3) It was common sight to see BN giving away gifts of all sorts to the people in the constituency. We have pictorial evidences to that effect but I don’t think its wise me to disclose them here.
4) Misused of government vehicles (pic below) is very rampant and seem to be an acceptable norm among BN officials. We took photos of not less than 47 SG vehicles either parked near the BN “ceramah” or near their operation rooms since nomination. During the nomination day alone we sighted not less than 120 SG vehicles not far from the nomination centre.
5) Civil servants, Departmental heads, teachers appears to be parts and parcels of BN election machineries. They are being deployed and mobilized to every longhouses and corners of Batang Ai.
6) MAFREL (Batang Ai) hereby confirmed the talks that “Tuai Rumah” or longhouse chief are being “kidnapped” and held hostages at Batang Ai Hilton. Some of those whom I met reveal that they are given RM1,000.00 pocket money during the duration of their stay. Some who chose to go to Kuching for sight seeing are given more. We observed that this is indeed very effective tools deployed by BN politician to entice voters. If not money politics, bribery what then?
7) As expected BN ministers continuously poured in “instant noodle projects and other goodies” virtually to all 121 longhouses in Batang Ai. As far as MAFREL is concerned, this is a daylight bribery. Again we have more than enough evidence to support our claims. It’s now up to HQ to make the necessary discloser.
8) Our monitoring unit reported that BN campaigners have contravened particular section of the by-election Act whereby they placed BN flags on the bridge and other prohibited places.
9) We also received report that BN supporters/campaigners pulling down PKR flags at the entrance of a particular longhouse. At the time of reporting police report has been lodged.
10) By MAFREL (Batang Ai) estimation the cost of this by-election far acceded the allowable amount of RM150K by contending parties.
11) We also reported & recorded scares tactic employed by BN Ministers esp. by Jabu, Masing, Awang Tengah, Awang Asfia, Salang, Entulu , Gramong Juna , Fadillah and few others during their “ceramah”.
12) We had examined and scrutinized the voter lists, found out that 111 years old voter still appear in the electoral roll. We checked with NRD and our trip to a grave yard confirmed that this particular voter died some 30 years ago. We have communicated our findings to the EC and believed that this is by no mean an isolated case.
13) We also received complaints from the longhouse residents that some of the names are missing from the electoral rolls. We are still investigating their claims.
14) Intelligence information received from the ground suggested that there will be more longhouses after the by-election. Reasons: Batang Ai by-election will cause a split among longhouse folks leading to the formation of new residence/longhouse.
15) In 1996 election, Donald Lawan successfully challenged Mong Dagang in the court as a result of practicing money politics. Will the 2009 Batang Ai by-election provides another same scenario of Jawah Gerang Vs. Malcolm Mussen, not only in Batang Ai battle field but also in court battle? NOT impossible if MAFREL (Batang Ai) reports and findings are anything to go by.
16) I must say within our term of references, the 26 Mafrel observers have done a splendid job as an election watch dog despite the numerous hurdles and handicaps.
COMPILED BY A MEMBER OF THE MAFREL TEAM
For more info, go to MAFREL's website > http://mafrel.wordpress.com/
2. Good wife?
Goerge Chan (pic), chairman of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and deputy chief minister dismissed PKR’s intention to eventually take over the Sarawak government with a sense of humour.
Goerge Chan (pic), chairman of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and deputy chief minister dismissed PKR’s intention to eventually take over the Sarawak government with a sense of humour.
“The PKR leaders have been trying to change the federal government, and now the Sarawak state government. Do you think that if you have a good wife, you want to change her?”
What is said by George Chan is very true. But yet some YBs and even ministers have changed their wives even if they are good.
After being elected or appointed as ministers some Dayak YBs are having mistresses. This makes them vulnerable and earns them little respect from their own communities as well as other communities.
How can they look after the interests of their constituents? How can they become a role model? Many have changed the acronym YB, instead of Yang Berhormat, it becomes ‘Yang Bebini’ or ‘Yang Bekendak’.
3. Minister fails to turn up for his appointment
Awang Tengah Ali Hassan a.k.a Awang Tanah, senior vice president of PBB and second minister of planning and resource management was supposed to visit Rumah Jengin to campaign for the BN candidate, Malcolm Mussen on 2 April at 2.30 pm.
Some 50 villagers were waiting for him. There were also several reporters present to cover the visit. When he failed to turn up, State Assemblyman for Ngemah, Gabriel Adit who had arrived earlier at the longhouse to campaign for the PKR candidate, Jawah Gerang seized the opportunity and “hijacked” the event. He touched on issues including the unsettled claims of compensation for the Ibans affected by the construction of the Batang Ai hydro-dam and the NCR land issues.
Adit also took the opportunity to introduce Dick Sakalai, former deputy Resident, who would contest against John Sikie, PRS State assemblyman fo Kakus and Stanny Embat, former police officer, to contest against Alfred Jabu in Layar.
According to Adit, the people responded enthusiastically and understood the message the PKR passed to the Iban community.
More to come…stay tune to www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
Friday, December 26
SUPP must walk the talk
The Broken Shield today welcomes the explanation given by Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president, Dr. George Chan that the party has never neglected the interests of the Dayaks in the party.
“As far as SUPP is concerned, we have never neglected the interests of our Dayak members as well as the Dayak community in general,” Chan said in replying to our earlier posting in The Broken Shield which said that SUPP had failed to highlight the interests of its Dayak members.
SUPP must walk the talk and should not be scared to tell the all too powerful Chief Minister regarding the problems faced by the Dayak community especially in respect of the taking away of the NCR land by big oil palm companies.
Many of the directors of these companies have not only links with SUPP, but some of them are even members of the party. These companies which have been given provisional leases to plant oil palm have uprooted the Dayaks’ traditional way of life when they take away their ancestral lands where they and their forefathers have been farming for centuries. Fruit trees, cash crops, longhouses, and pendam (graveyards) have been destroyed without any compensation being paid because the so-called lands belong to the State.
And one of the ways how SUPP can walk the talk is to advise the companies to negotiate with the longhouse people and come up with a win-win solution rather than showing their arrogance and disrespect towards the Dayak Adat by bulldozing their way to the Dayaks’ land, clearing and destroying all the things that are so dear to them. By showing their arrogance, the companies are inviting trouble as the land owners are bound to retaliate either by putting up blockades or by resorting to court of law to seek injunctions, justice and compensations.
Incidentally, there are about 200 cases waiting to be heard by the court against these companies for trespassing into their lands. A few of the cases that have been heard favour the land owners.
According to Andrew Shilling, Dayaks form 30% of SUPP’s membership and if that is the case, Dayaks should be given more “shares” in SUPP may be in the ratio of 30:70 between Dayaks and Chinese.
In the Federal Cabinet, there is no Dayak representation from SUPP; it should have recommended Richard Riot who has been very loyal to SUPP since 1993 to be appointed one of the two posts of deputy ministers instead of Robert Lau.
After all, the Chinese are well represented in the Federal cabinet. In the State level, Ranum Mina should be appointed assistant minister in addition to Francis Harden to reflect the Dayak membership in the party. There are two vacancies for SUPP that are yet to be filled.
So far Dr. Chan and Andrew Shilling have made comments to my posting, what have the Dayak YBs in SUPP got to say? The readers of this blog would like to hear their comments.
Anyway if SUPP is really sincere towards the Dayaks and dares to help Dayaks protect their customary rights over land, then show it by actions and not by explanations, for actions speak louder than words. – The Broken Shield
“As far as SUPP is concerned, we have never neglected the interests of our Dayak members as well as the Dayak community in general,” Chan said in replying to our earlier posting in The Broken Shield which said that SUPP had failed to highlight the interests of its Dayak members.
SUPP must walk the talk and should not be scared to tell the all too powerful Chief Minister regarding the problems faced by the Dayak community especially in respect of the taking away of the NCR land by big oil palm companies.
Many of the directors of these companies have not only links with SUPP, but some of them are even members of the party. These companies which have been given provisional leases to plant oil palm have uprooted the Dayaks’ traditional way of life when they take away their ancestral lands where they and their forefathers have been farming for centuries. Fruit trees, cash crops, longhouses, and pendam (graveyards) have been destroyed without any compensation being paid because the so-called lands belong to the State.
And one of the ways how SUPP can walk the talk is to advise the companies to negotiate with the longhouse people and come up with a win-win solution rather than showing their arrogance and disrespect towards the Dayak Adat by bulldozing their way to the Dayaks’ land, clearing and destroying all the things that are so dear to them. By showing their arrogance, the companies are inviting trouble as the land owners are bound to retaliate either by putting up blockades or by resorting to court of law to seek injunctions, justice and compensations.
Incidentally, there are about 200 cases waiting to be heard by the court against these companies for trespassing into their lands. A few of the cases that have been heard favour the land owners.
According to Andrew Shilling, Dayaks form 30% of SUPP’s membership and if that is the case, Dayaks should be given more “shares” in SUPP may be in the ratio of 30:70 between Dayaks and Chinese.
In the Federal Cabinet, there is no Dayak representation from SUPP; it should have recommended Richard Riot who has been very loyal to SUPP since 1993 to be appointed one of the two posts of deputy ministers instead of Robert Lau.
After all, the Chinese are well represented in the Federal cabinet. In the State level, Ranum Mina should be appointed assistant minister in addition to Francis Harden to reflect the Dayak membership in the party. There are two vacancies for SUPP that are yet to be filled.
So far Dr. Chan and Andrew Shilling have made comments to my posting, what have the Dayak YBs in SUPP got to say? The readers of this blog would like to hear their comments.
Anyway if SUPP is really sincere towards the Dayaks and dares to help Dayaks protect their customary rights over land, then show it by actions and not by explanations, for actions speak louder than words. – The Broken Shield
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is an article taken from Malaysiakini re to my article above.
Don't be afraid of Taib, Supp told
Tony Thien Dec 27, 08 1:50pm
Tony Thien Dec 27, 08 1:50pm
The Sarawak United People’s Party (Supp) should not be fearful to tell all-powerful Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud about the plight of the Dayak community, especially vast tracts of natives’ land being given to oil palm companies, said a Dayak political analyst.
Many of the owners of these companies not only have links with the largely Chinese-based Supp, but some of them are even members of the party, said Joseph Tawie, a well-known local blogger.
Tawie’s latest posting in his ‘The Broken Shield’ blog was in response to Deputy Chief Minister and Supp president Dr George Chan’s denial that the party had neglected its Dayak members.
In an earlier posting, Tawie described Dayak leaders in Supp, Sarawak’s oldest political party, as “mere by-standers” as the party mostly caters to the needs and interest of the Chinese community.
The oil palm companies are given provisional leases to clear the land belonging to the Dayaks. In taking away the Dayaks’ ancestral lands where they and their forefathers have been farming for centuries, these companies have uprooted the natives’ traditional way of life.
Fruit trees, cash crops, longhouses and ‘pendam’ (graveyards) have been destroyed without any compensation as the ‘so-called lands’ belong to the state, decried Tawie.
Tawie, who is also the yet-to-be-registered Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) information chief, said: “One of the ways Supp can walk the talk is to advise the companies to negotiate with the longhouse people and come up with a win-win solution rather than showing their arrogance and disrespect towards the Dayak adat by bulldozing their way to the Dayaks’ land, clearing and destroying all the things that are so dear to them.
”By showing their arrogance, the companies are also inviting trouble as the landowners have retaliated by erecting blockades or resorting to the courts to seek injunctions, justice and compensations, he said.
There are about 200 cases pending in the court against these companies for trespassing on their lands. A few of the cases that have been heard favour the landowners.
Explanation accepted, now walk the talk
The blogger also said he welcomed the explanation from Chan in defending his party’s policy on the Dayaks. “As far as Supp is concerned, we have never neglected the interests of our Dayak members as well as the Dayak community in general,” Chan said in replying to an earlier posting in ‘The Broken Shield’ which accused Supp of failing to highlight the interests of its Dayak members.
According to a Supp Dayak leader, Andrew Shilling - who is also a political secretary to the chief minister - Dayaks form 30 percent of Supp’s membership.
Joseph said Dayaks should be given more leadership posts in Chinese-dominated Supp, perhaps at the ratio of 30:70.
In the federal cabinet, there is no Dayak representation from Supp, lamented Tawie. The party should have recommended Richard Riot, the Serian MP, who has been very loyal to Supp since 1993 to filled one of the two deputy ministers posts instead of Robert Lau, the MP for Bandar Sibu. “After all, the Chinese are well-represented in the federal cabinet.
At the state level, Ranum Mina should be appointed assistant minister in addition to Francis Harden to reflect the Dayak membership in the party. There are two vacancies for Supp that are yet to be filled,’ he added.
Wednesday, December 24
SUPP has never neglected interest of Dayaks: Dr Chan ~ ref. The Borneo Post
Dear readers,
The following article entitled "SUPP has never neglected interest of Dayaks: Dr Chan" was published in The Borneo Post today, 24 December 2008 (page 3).
The article was in response to my posting in this blog entitled "What is the Dayaks' role in SUPP?" (22 Dec 2008) and was later republished in Malaysiakini news portal. Click here.
As Christmas is approaching, I will taking a few days 'leave' before I response to the news report. In the meantime, I would like to hear some comments from my valued readers on this issue.
Thank you & have fun!
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