SUPP to hold emergency CWC meeting on Sunday

The Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) will hold an emergency Central Working Committee meeting this Sunday to discuss the move of its four members, lead by its former assistant secretary-general Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, to quit and join a new party, Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras).

The other three were state assemblymen - Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (Bengoh), Ranum Mina (Opar) and Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa (Engkilili).

The announcement to leave the party was made through a press conference on Thursday, but they have yet to formally relinquish their SUPP membership.

SUPP president Tan Sri Peter Chin Fah Kui said: "We will have CWC (meeting) this Sunday to discuss it. I will recomend to CWC for them to be sacked from the party. After that, we will give you the official stand on the matter."

The meeting will be held at SUPP headquarters in Kuching, he told Bernama when contacted.

Both Wong and Susil hold positions in the state cabinet. Wong is the senior state minister for local government and community as well as the Minister of Finance (II). Susil is the state Public Health Assistant Minister.

Chin said Wong, who is SUPP Sibu branch chairman, should vacate the Bawang Assan state seat as he has won it as a SUPP candidate under Barisan Nasional (BN). Wong is on his fifth term as Bawang Assan state assemblyman since he won the seat in 1991 under SUPP-BN ticket.

"Since he has joined another party, which is not a BN component party, he should give up his seat,” he said.

Wong, in his reply said it was not Chin's right to ask him to resign as state assemblyman to pave the way for a by-election.

"There are many other considerations. It is not as simple as giving up my post as an elected state assemblyman. It is up to the top BN leadership to decide. He does not need to waste his time finding faults with me," he said in a statement.

SUPP, a component party of the Sarawak BN, is the state's oldest political party while Teras's establishment was only approved by the Registrar of Society (ROS) in August last year.

Teras is not a BN component party but is said to be a BN-friendly party.

The four SUPP state assemblymen, together with the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, who is also Saratok Member of Parliament and Pakan state assemblyman; and another five SPDP members - state assemblymen Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran (Marudi), Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie (Tasik Biru), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu), Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau) - and Baram Member of Parliament Anyie Ngau quit their respective parties and joined Teras, on Thursday.