Is SPDP moving backward or forward?

This is a question many observers are asking themselves after witnessing the SPDP’s recent triennial general assembly.

I was present at both the opening of Youth Wing by its deputy president Peter Nyarok 0n 28 December at the Grand Continental Hotel and also at the meeting of the main body at the Civics Centre on 29 December 09.

I could not believe what I heard coming from Nyarok and Tiong King Sing, the outgoing Youth leader and the treasurer general of the party.

Nyarok’s pantun of “Gelang emas si gelang intan, Dibeli teruna seorang budiman, pantang dicabar ayam tambatan, nanti merana sepanjang zaman” clearly warned Philip Ngo, the challenger not to fight him, a well-bred and seasoned local fighting cock, otherwise he would suffer for life.

Nyarok also labeled himself as a “rimau atas kerusi” (tiger on a chair) waiting to maul his opponent.

Tiong accused Philip as a “traitor” for contesting against Nyarok and considered such action as back-stabbing after the party supreme council had agreed to maintain status quo. Tiong wanted a disciplinary action to be taken against Philip.

Tiong repeated what he said at the meeting of the main body just minutes before the party election was to begin.

In fact Tiong in an angry and thunderous tone accused Philip of being sponsored by outsiders from another BN party. Although he did not identify the party, many think that he was referring to PBB.

Tiong also spoke of his financial contributions of hundreds of thousand of ringgit to the party and he never asked how the money was to be spent. So no one should question his statement of account he presented to the assembly.

From what I see, it is obvious that SPDP does not tolerate any challenge to the party leadership, thus cutting down young professionals to be fully involved in the party. This is not good as the young professionals may think that they are not wanted by the party.

Secondly, I notice that Tiong is really in control of the party and the way he spoke at the main body seems to me that he “is more than the treasurer general”. He is SPDP and SPDP is Tiong. As one delegate put it, “without Tiong this party ‘mati rangkai’ (die due to (financial) dehydration).

I am given to understand by those who went to China and Taiwan with Tiong was that the list of youth and the President line-ups were discussed.

After watching all this drama, one tends to ask oneself: Is SPDP becoming another SNAP or PBDS or even PRS, where one towkay controls the party? And what has happened to SNAP and PBDS and also PRS? – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Is Nyarok going to defend his seat?

Is Peter Nyarok (pic above) defending his deputy president’s post when Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) holds its elections in December this year?

This is the question being asked by many of his supporters and friends in view of his silence over speculations that he has offered to step down in order to make way for the Bintulu MP and treasurer general Tiong King Sing.

Even SPDP president William Mawan is unsure of Nyarok’s position; however he includes Nyarok in his line-up hoping that there will be no contests for the top posts.

Speculations have been rife among the members that Nyarok has negotiated with Tiong over the possibility of Tiong taking over the number two post as he wants to retire from politics.

It is learnt that the majority of the party’s supreme council and members are wary of Tiong’s intention to be the two of the party and thus they have held discussions to carry out “Plan B” whereby they want to challenge Tiong, and if need be Mawan’s leadership should he take Tiong as his running mate.

Of course Mawan is hoping that every thing will remain status quo. But Nyarok’s silence seems to confirm the rumours of his stepping down and this will inevitably open the way for the top posts to be contested.

Dr. Tiki Lafe, vice president of the party has already talked about the new line-up, when he said: “There is likelihood that even the top posts will be challenged including his own vice-president post. We are talking of a Plan B now and a new line-up.”

“What some of the us fear is that if Tiong becomes the number two, it will be a matter of time before he takes over the leadership of the party. If this happens, then there are bound to be troubles in the party,” said another member of the supreme council who requested not to be quoted in view of the sensitivity of the issue.

Several reasons they do not want Tiong to be the number two. Firstly, they see Tiong as the stumbling block for Dayak unity through merger between SPDP and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS). The merger talks have been initiated five years ago and nothing concrete has come out of the proposal. Tiong has been known to be not in favour of the merger.

Secondly, they see Tiong and his company Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd are allegedly involved in the PKFZ scandal. The latest news about the scandal is that KDSB account to the tune of RM140 million has been frozen pending investigations into the case. The SPDP supreme council members fear that if any thing happens to Tiong, they do not want the party to be dragged along.

Another reason, and the most important one, is that they do not want Sarawak National Party’s history to be repeated. SNAP was saddled with crisis after crisis since James Wong took over the leadership of the party beginning in 1981. During his presidency, Dayaks’ interests and voices were suppressed.

He treated the party as his own company and did not tolerate any criticism; anyone who disagreed with him was expelled from the party. Daniel Tajem, the late Joseph Samuel and Patau Rubis were among victims of Wong’s dictatorial rule in the party. And even Tiong was a victim in the 2002 crisis which led to split in SNAP and resulted in the formation of SPDP in November 2002.

Some of the current SPDP’s supreme council members had bitter experiences in SNAP and they do not want the same thing happens to SPDP.

One among them is Nyarok, the retired school teacher, who came into prominence when he played a leading role together with Mawan and seven others in the 2002 SNAP crisis in which they disagreed with the SNAP president’s expulsion of Tiong from the party. Their disagreement led to them leaving the party and forming SPDP.

Upon the formation of SPDP, Tiong was given the post of treasurer general, while Nyarok upon the death of Peter Tinggom one year or so later was elevated to the post of deputy president.

“It is in this light that we oppose Tiong taking over as deputy president of the party and we will oppose him by challenging him,” said a SPDP leader who also refused to be identified.

“Moreover, Tiong has become too powerful in the party and has antagonized many supreme council members,” he said, adding that Tiong has been treating them with little respect.

According to him, Tiong rebuked them during last month’s supreme council meeting. He said: “Abis kami ditelanjai ka iya”. (Literally it means Tiong completely stripped them off).

Although Tiong’s outbursts did not go down well with some members of the council, they refused however to argue with him. Instead they preferred to keep silence, but his outbursts caused some fears and worry among them.

As they want to fight Tiong at all costs, many are worried about the consequences and Mawan must realise that four or five of SPDP’s State assemblymen are known to be leaning towards Parti Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), the backbone of the State government, which was responsible for their candidacies.

As claimed by a leader who is one of the initiators of “Plan B”, most of the elected representatives are in the second list.

“It all depends on Mawan. He must make a choice. Either he supports Tiong or supports Dayak unity. If he is supportive of Tiong, then he will be challenged,” said a senior member of the party.

Meanwhile, Party Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) which will hold its delegates conference later is watching with great interest what is happening in SPDP especially in respect of Tiong’s possible election as his party’s deputy president.

“If that happens, we know that the proposed merger between the two parties will not take place in the immediate future as we know that Tiong is against the merger,” said Tedewin Ngumbang, a member of PRS supreme council. - The Broken Shield

(Note the article was first published by the Malaysian Mirror and has been rewritten to suit the readers of The Broken Shield).