Sarawak United People's Party's (SUPP) newly-elected Youth chief Alan Sim Yaw Yen, 38, is likely to be the party's choice to replace incumbent Bandar Kuching member of parliament Song Swee Guan at the forthcoming parliamentary election.

The Kuching lawyer has been a divisional youth leader in the Pending branch headed by SUPP secretary-general Sim Kheng Hui, who is also an assistant minister. Alan is also a city councillor.

Song who was also the state asemblyperson for Padungan was dropped during the state election last year by the Sarawak Chinese-based party after being the incumbent for the seat for four terms.

His Padungan seat was given to former SUPP women head Lily Yong, who is a political secretary to the chief minister.

She managed to retain the seat for the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in spite of a strong opposition challenge in the predominantly Chinese constituency in the heart of Kuching City.

Song (photo) first won the Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat in the 1995 general election when he defeated former Sarawak DAP strongman and three-term MP Sim Kwang Yang. He successfully retained the seat in the 1999 general election.

Song, who is also a former state assembly speaker and a former Kuching City South mayor, was not seen among the party's elected representatives on the grandstand at the official opening of the party's triennial delegates conference in Kuching this morning, officially opened by Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Several party leaders have broadly hinted that Song is likely to be dropped even from the party's central working committee list and as a candidate at the next parliamentary election.

Hard worker

Although still not very well-known publicly, Sim has proven to be a hard worker and has gained the trust and confidence of top party leaders, including SUPP president Dr George Chan Hong Nam (photo), one of Sarawak's two deputy chief ministers.

But Sim had to overcome some initial challenges from certain groups in his first bid for the state Youth chief post this week to succeed the state assemblyperson for Senadin Lee Kim Shin, who did not offer himself for re-election after serving two terms.

In an indication that the top leadership favoured him to take over, SUPP chief Chan sent clear signals to SUPP Youth members ahead of their elections yesterday that he would prefer the post to be uncontested.

At least one name was frequently mentioned as a likely challenger to Sim, and it was only after much backroom work by the party's secretary-general and persuasion from other leaders that the expected challenge fizzled out.

Youth delegates first elect 60 members to the Youth central committee (YCC), which in turn elect the wing's various office-bearers. There were 69 nominated candidates for the 60 YCC posts.

Sim was elected to the YCC and was the sole candidate for the Youth chief post. The Youth election results were announced at 10pm last night.

Wong Ling Bin and Low Eng How were elected Youth deputy chairmen, while Chua Beng Seng won the post of secretary. Others who were elected were Tan Swee Kwang (treasurer), Yii Yong Siew (organising secretary) and Ong Chee Siong (publicity and information secretary).

Bumiputra members

Immediately after the results were announced, Sim said his first priorities were to unite party members and recruit more bumiputra members into the Youth wing.

Of the 60 YCC posts, only one bumiputra was elected, despite of what appeared to be an orchestrated campaign by several of the party's bumiputra leaders to give bumiputras more say in what is essentially a predominantly Chinese party.

As expected, the SUPP women section retained the status quo when their election results were announced.

The women wing leader Janet Lau Ung Hie wife of Sibu member of parliament Robert Lau Hoi Chew was returned unopposed along with all keys posts, including vice-chairman Cheng Yi, who is a lawyer.

Also returned were Suzanne Kee Tze Ha (secretary), Tan Ah Lan (treasurer), Lee Hui Shing (organising secretary), and Chion Guek Choo and Jacqueline Tay (publicity secretaries).

The party's central working committee elections will take place tomorrow.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini correspondent based in Kuching, Sarawak.