SUPP issued show cause letter by ROS

The Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) has been issued a show-cause letter by the Registrar of Societies (ROS), said its Secretary-General Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian.

He said the letter dated Jan 6, 2014, was handed over to him by Sarawak ROS director Ken Leben this morning.

In it, he said, the party had been asked to show cause to ROS why its registration should not be cancelled.

"The present leadership of the Party will do all that is required to preserve the legal status of the Party and I am sure all Party members will also want such actions to be taken by the Party leadership. Therefore, on behalf of the Central Committee and the Central Working Committee, I want to appeal for calm, tolerance, patience and understanding from all members during this difficult period of our Party's colourful history.

"We have faced adversity before and we have overcome them. I am confident that we can face this one with courage and determination to overcome the same," he said in a statement here Thursday.

He added that Ken Leben also handed him two letters from ROS dated Jan 6 which stated that party's Piasau and Bekenu branches had been deregistered following unsatisfactory replies to show cause letters issued to them.

"All efforts are being made by the former Chairmen and their teams of the affected branches concerned to ensure that all necessary actions and procedures are duly complied in submitting appeals as required under the Societies Act.

"Also I take this opportunity to inform all SUPP members of the former SUPP Piasau branch and the former SUPP Bekenu branch that their membership is still valid and attached directly with SUPP Party Central. From now onwards, all activities related to members of these former SUPP branches will be directly dealt with by Party Central," he said.

The show cause letter to SUPP was issued due to alleged irregularities at the party's election at its triennial delegates conference (TDC) in December 2011.

The two branches were deregistered allegedly due irregularaties in their branch elections in the run up to the TDC.