Sarawak National Party (Snap), a Sarawak-based multi-racial party and a member of Barisan Nasional, is besieged with problems.
Snap, the states second oldest party and led today by veteran politician James Wong Kim Min, has to deal with recalcitrant member of Parliament Tiong King Sing. It also has the problem of having to deal with two rival committees operating in the party division in the Meluan state constituency.
Tiong, the MP for Bintulu, has been accused by his own party of allegedly making empty promises about the extension of TV3 services to Bintulu during the last parliamentary election campaign.
The 38-year-old corporate leader whose companies are in construction and timber, has denied promising to make a financial contribution to meet the cost of setting up a TV3 station in Bintulu.
But the party is not convinced and has issued a show-cause letter as to why action should not be taken against him for the alleged party indiscipline.
Tiong has replied to the letter and may be asked to appear at the partys central executive committee (CEC) meeting in Kuching this Saturday to explain his case.
However, Tiong told malaysiakini today that he has yet to receive any letter requesting his attendance. He added that he would consider the matter if he was called to do so.
According to sources, there is also a connection between Tiong and the Meluan issue. The Snap incumbent, Geman Itam, was defeated by an independent candidate, businessman Wong Judat, in last Septembers state election, and Tiong had publicly accused some senior party leaders, whom he did not name, of being responsible for the defeat.
The party had originally decided on its secretary-general Justine Jinggut as the Meluan candidate replacing Geman, but at the last minute, Chief Minister and state Barisan Nasional chairperson Abdul Taib Mahmud decided to retain Geman as the candidate.
After the partys defeat, the Meluan divisional committee led by John Okin was dissolved, paving for a new committee to be formed with Jana Itin as chairperson.
Recent newspaper reports revealed that there are now two rival committees in the same division, and leaders of the partys Kemena and Kiduring divisions (where Tiong comes from) now want the party to take effective measures to resolve the differences in Meluan.
Party shamed
Kemena division chairperson Liew Ah Lek was quoted in todays Sarawak Tribune as saying that the developments in Meluan had shamed the party.
But thats not the end of the partys problems. There are moves engineered by Tiong and his supporters, both within the Bintulu division and the CEC, to push party vice-president William Mawan, a recently appointed full state minister, to challenge Snap chief James Wong for the post of president in this years party election.
According to sources, Mawan is reluctant to change the status quo since he is satisfied with his present position in the party and government. But the question is whether he will be able to withstand the pressure from party supporters, including some very influential ones like Tiong.
According to a Kuching-based English tabloid
Malaysia Today , Mawan suddenly called off a press conference yesterday during which he was expected to indicate his intentions.Sources said Mawan, a close ally of the party president, has not yet made up his mind and is still weighing the implications and consequences of mounting a challenge against someone whom he has always looked upon as a father figure.
This Saturdays CEC meeting will deliberate the various issues and problems, and one common denominator is Tiong who appears to have something to do with every one of them. It will be a meeting that will be closely watched not only by party members but also other component parties of Snap and outsiders.
TONY THIEN is a malaysiakini correspondent based in Kuching, Sarawak.
