Rebel leader urges Snap leader to back down

comments     Tony Thien     Published     Updated

Crisis-ridden Sarawak National Party (Snap) rebel leader William Mawan today suggested that the party's long-serving leader James Wong Kim Min back down from an all-out confrontation with the party grassroots.

Mawan, the party's vice-president and state minister whose faction wants to take over from Wong, indicated that they have the numbers on their side to oust the aging president if an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) that they had demanded is held.

He has earlier said that Wong has lost all moral ground because of dwindling support within the party to continue as party leader.

Asked if he was sure his group would be able to secure the necessary two-thirds at an EGM to oust Wong, the Snap vice-president said: "Of course, I cannot guarantee that. But if you look at the number of divisions present at the gathering in Sibu recently, we are more than confident."

At the Sibu gathering, 48 out of the party's 62 divisions passed resolutions calling on Wong and his deputy Peter Tinggom to both step down immediately and give way to younger leaders.

But Wong's supporters insist that Wong could only be removed by the party's highest policy-making body — the national council — which elects the central executive council (CEC) members.

Mawan's group has been issuing public statements saying the matter was urgent enough to warrant secretary-general Justine Jinggut, who is known to be aligned with Wong, to call for an EGM.

Keeping mum

Asked why the president has been keeping quiet all this while, Mawan said: "He has been away in Australia to get doctors to look at his knees."

He added that he had not spoken to Wong since the walkout by the party's eight elected representatives at the recent CEC meeting chaired by Wong.

He noted, however, that the party's senior vice-president Richard Wong, Wong's eldest son and the state assemblyperson for Limbang, had made a public statement which seemed to contain something positive.

Newspaper reports had quoted Wong Jr as saying that Mawan had exercised his right to free speech when he called on the party president to relinquish his position.

The Mawan group has hardly taken a respite since the crisis was blown into the open after the sacking of the member of parliament for Bintulu, Tiong King Sing, from the party by the CEC with almost daily press briefings.

Tonight, however, he is holding a press night at a five-star hotel, which is seen as "taking some time off".

"If you want me to sing, I will do so," he told reporters three days ago when inviting them to attend.



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