The youth wing of the Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) has issued a demand for an extraordinary general meeting to explain why a party nominee was not appointed the new Kuching City South mayor.

In a statement today, the Youth Central exco went as far as saying that "if the need arises, there should be a change in the top leadership for putting the party in such a state in the eyes of members and the public".

Yesterday, Youth chief Allan Sim, who is also a political secretary to Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, said party members were disappointed with the state government's decision. Sim was among candidates proposed for the post.

Supp, a member of the state's four-member ruling coalition, has had its nominee in the Kuching mayor's post since the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

All that changed when civil servant Chong Ted Tsiung, 50, was installed yesterday as mayor, taking over from Supp's Chan Seng Khai who resigned in June after losing the state elections in May.

So far Supp leaders, including its president Dr George Chan, have not made any public comments on the appointment.

After a meeting of its leaders last week, the party made a last-minute plea to get the state government to change its decision. Chan was said to have tried unsuccessfully to see Taib to convey the appeal.

Growing disenchantment

The central executive committee is to meet this weekend to discuss the latest development. Talk is that one of its members might push for a vote of no-confidence in Chan amidst growing disenchantment with his leadership.

He and several other leaders are expected to be grilled as to why they did not push hard enough for a party appointee to be chosen.

It is learnt that Chan ( photo ) has made it known in some circles that Sim has created a fuss because he was not chosen.

Sim, who had initially issued a hard-hitting press statement in Chinese apparently directed at Chan, later toned it down.

The focus of criticism then shifted to Supp treasurer David Teng who, Sim said, knew of the appointment of a civil servant even before the cabinet decided on it on Sept 7.

The party had even formed a 10-member committee to decide on the candidate long before the cabinet's decision but the committee never met, Sim claimed.

Party members are said to have told the leadership of the possibility of the party suffering casualties in the next parliamentary elections if members and supporters lose confidence.

Supp lost four state seats in Kuching alone to the opposition, mainly the DAP candidates.