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De-registration of Sarawak Barisan Nasional component may trigger new alignment of coalition government partners and end politicsl careers
KUCHING: Leaders of Sarawak United People’s Party including former president George Chan have met with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to appeal for help to stop the Registrar of Societies from revoking the party’s registration.
The 55-year old SUPP is certain to face de-registration, and the RoS has given it until next Sunday (Feb 9) to reply to a show-cause letter why its registration cannot be cancelled.
The de-registration threat came in the wake of its Bekenu and Piasau branches being deregistered after the two had been found to have branch elections regulations in Dec 2011.
Delegates elected from the two branches took part in the party’s triennial general conference (TGC) which saw the election of Peter Chin as president and those close to him as Central Committee members.
However whether the Prime Minister can order the RoS to review its decision is questionable. The SUPP branches after were found to have committed election irregularities.
A former SUPP leader, who is a lawyer believes that SUPP’s fate is a foregone conclusion, and it can only be saved from de-registration by a political decision.
“Chin, being a former federal minister serving under Prime Minister Najib should have made use of his friendship with Najib to save the party. After all Najib was the one who officiated at the TGM of the party in December 2011,” said the leader who did not wish to be named.
“I think Najib can help. But if he cannot help, SUPP can say good bye,” he added.
Formed about 55 years ago, SUPP was then said to be leftist and was one of the more vocal parties against the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
When Abdul Rahman Yakub became Sarawak’s third Chief Minister in 1970, he invited SUPP to join his coalition government and later the Barisan Nasional. It has now a membership of more than 100,000. During its peak, the party had 12 state elected representatives and seven MPs.
If SUPP is de-registered, it will be the third party from Sarawak that has been found to broken RoS regulations. The Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) were the other two parties from the Borneo state that were de-registered for internal election irregularities. SNAP was de-registered in November 2002, while PBDS in December 2003.
SUPP leaders are worried that the party’s ideals, mission, and the reasons for its establishment will change if it is de-registered and then reestablished. They are already talking about the control of SUPP’s assets worth millions of ringgit as well as the position of their five Dayak elected representatives – one MP and four state assembly representative.
They could be targets of existing BN parties and silence SUPP’s voice in the government.
SUPP’s crisis started after the state election in April 2011 when the party was rejected by voters. Out of the 19 seats it contested it lost lost 13 mainly Chinese majority seats leaving them pondering whether to join the state government led by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Chin and his defeated candidates wanted the party to stay out of the cabinet, while SUPP Sibu chairman Wong Soon Koh, elected assemblyman for Bawan Asan and Lee Khim Shin (Senadin Assemblyman) and four Dayak assemblymen insisted they join leading to a split.
The split was carried forward to the Dec 2011 triennial general conference (TGM) which Wong and his supporters boycotted alleging irregularity in the branch elections. Wong’s faction also alleged that Chin’s election as president was illegal.
One of the allegations was that up to 4,000 former members of the party who were either deceased or who had resigned were still registered as voters.
The RoS stepped after complaints were filed and found two branches (Bekenu and Piasau) had committed election irregularities and deregistered them effective from Jan 6, 2014. However, the party was allowed to appeal the decision.
Understanding the consequences, Chin wants Umno, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) to save the party from being deregistered.
“This is a big issue and SUPP alone cannot solve it. If it were an internal problem, I believe we can handle it on our own,” he said during a Chinese New Year function in Miri.
He said that he had played his role as president to solve the problem but it was now beyond his control.
“I need Umno’s help, I need PBB’s help, I need SPDP’s help and I need PRS’ help so that we can get over this problem,” said the former federal cabinet minister.
Chin said his goal now is to unite the various factions in the party with the assistance of fellow BN parties to ensure SUPP’s survival. – JT