The new Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman will be known by mid June, said Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president George Chan Hong Nam today.

NONE Chan ( right ) who is also the deputy chief minister said the party had identified two to three names for the post.

"We will announce the new MPP chairman soon...we will discuss it in the next state cabinet meeting to be held by mid-June.

"We will leave it to the Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud (to decide on the appointment)," he told reporters after a flag handing ceremony to the Sarawak Sukma contingent's chef-de-mission Lee Kim Shin at UiTM here today.  

The MPP chairmanship fell vacant when its former chairman Tan Joo Phoi was appointed assistant minister in the Chief Minister's Department effective April 2, while lobbying intensified over the past months.

Several groups have been lobbying for the post and the most vocal were the Bidayuhs, who wanted to see the first Bidayuh MPP chairman since Padawan covers many Bidayuh villages.  

Recently, some senior SUPP leaders called on the party leadership to quickly name the new MPP chairman to put a stop to bickering in the party as it had somehow affected the unity of the members.

- Bernama