So, when did the BN approve Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) as one of its component members? This is what the Youth chief of the Sarawak United People’s Party, Tan Kai, wants to know.

Former Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) chief William Mawan Ikom, Tan said, has to make an official clarification on this claim he has been making to the longhouse folk.

“When was the application by Teras to join the BN fold officially approved, by both the state and federal BN?” Tan ( left ) asked in a statement yesterday.

Mawan, who is Sarawak social development minister, has been telling the people in longhouses in the state not to fall for allegations by certain quarters that the newly-registered Teras is not in the ruling coalition.

He said the claim that Teras is an opposition party “is ill-intended and holds no water”, and Mawan went on to ask: “How can Teras be opposition when all of its ministers, assistant ministers and elected representatives are BN members?”

Mawan quit SPDP on May 15 and joined Teras, together with former SUPP deputy secretary-general Wong Soon Koh. Eight other elected representatives, including three from SUPP, also joined them.

Responding to Mawan’s statement, Tan said SUPP Youth would not waver from its stand that Teras “was never, is never and will never be recognised” as a BN component party.

“There have been strong objections from so many BN component parties and their top leaders,” he said, pointing out that besides SUPP, SPDP and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), there were other BN parties that strongly objected to the bid by Teras to join BN.

Under the BN spirit and understanding, all component parties must give their “unanimous consent” before any political party’s application to join BN is accepted, he said, adding: “It means that even if one member party objects, the application will be rejected.”

Alliance formed to ensure BN rejects Teras

Tan also noted that SUPP, SPDP and PRS had recently formed an alliance to make sure that Teras’ application to join the BN is rejected.

“Not only that, two other major BN component parties, MCA and Gerakan, have declared their support for SUPP, SPDP and PRS by saying 'no to Teras’ joining the BN,” he said.

“However, Mawan, being a seasoned politician and member of the state cabinet, should not be vague with his claim,” Tan said in demanding that Mawan reveals details of the BN meeting that approved the application by Teras to join the coalition.

Meanwhile, a PRS leader has also accused Mawan of lying to the “innocent longhouse folk” that Teras was already in the BN coalition.

“Mawan ( left ) visted a number of longhouses during the Gawai Dayak celebrations to take advantage of the innocence of the people, telling them that Teras is already a member of the BN coalition.

“He has been lying to the people,” said the PRS leader who did not wish to be named because of a gag order issued by Chief Minister Adenan Satem.

The order was issued on July 2 after PRS youth exchanged a war of words with PBB supreme council member Abdul Karim Hamzah.

“There is no way Karim will disagree with Mawan or Teras,” the PRS leader said, nothing that his party's Youth wing has accused Karim of having an agenda of defending Teras.