The use of community leaders, including longhouse headmen, councillors and penghulu by Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) president William Mawan Ikom to promote his political survival has earned the ire of his people.

This includes that of his former private secretary and Pakan division treasurer of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) Brian Fung, who said Ma wan “must be very desperate about his political future”.

This was so, Fung told Malaysiakini yesterday, that Mawan ( right ) was “resorting to using community leaders to issue statements wanting him to be re-nominated to defend his Pakan seat”.

He said a steady stream of community leaders had been paying ‘courtesy calls’ on Mawan and each time they visited him, a statement was issued not only proclaiming full support for him but also calling on him to defend his seat.

The latest visit by the community leaders, as referred to by Fung, was last Friday when 17 longhouse chieftains met with Mawan, who is also state social development minister.

State councillor Tekong Ranggi - who acted as spokesman for the 17 other longhouse headmen - said in a statement the majority of the grassroots leaders in Pakan still wanted Mawan to continue representing them under the BN ticket in the next state election.

'SPDP still dominant in Pawan'

Mawan has represented Pakan for five terms to date under the BN banner.

Fung said the claim that the majority of grassroots leaders supported Mawan was ‘misleading and inaccurate’ besides being a ploy by Teras members to promote their president as the BN candidate for Pakan in the coming Sarawak state election.

“The real situation on the ground is that the majority of voters in Pakan want a new candidate to defend the seat for BN in the next election. They reject Mawan,” he said.

Fung maintained that SPDP was still the dominant party in Pakan, with about 3,000 members in the constituency.

Mawan announced his decision to leave SPDP - of which he was president - last May to set up Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) together with several other elected representatives from the party.