Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has snubbed a seat negotiation meeting with the United People’s Party (UPP), paving the way for a ‘deadly confrontation’ in at least 19 constituencies in the coming state election.

 

This happened after SUPP has failed to attend the latest attempt at a compromise between the BN component parties, following repeated calls by Chief Minister and state BN chief Adenan Satem.

 

“It is very sad and I cannot comprehend why SUPP leaders defied the repeated calls of the Chief Minister,” UPP president Wong Soon Koh told the media yesterday after the aborted meeting.

 

Wong ( right ), who is also the local government minister, led a group from UPP and waited for half an hour for SUPP leaders to come. But it was a ‘no show’ by them.

 

Expressing his disappointment, Wong said the lunch was organised in response to repeated calls from Adenan for the two parties to talk about reconciliation.

 

The lunch at a leading hotel in Kuching was brokered by Chinese community leader Temenggong Lu Kam Yong to enable the two Chinese-based parties to work towards better representation for the community.

 

“Secondly, we want greater representation of the Chinese community in the government. Unless there is greater unity and working together between the two parties, there will be no greater representation in the government,” Wong said.

 

The Chinese community has one full-fledged minister and an assistant minister in the state cabinet, a step down from two ministers and a number of assistant ministers during the previous term.

 

“All our reconciliation efforts have not only been ignored, and the chief minister’s repeated calls for us to talk defied, but we are also accused of being rebels and betraying the interests of the Chinese community,” Wong lamented.

 

“I hope one day, they will respond to the repeated calls of the chief minister. They have no choice, but talk to us if the chief minister so directed,” he stressed.

 

Adenan may have the solution

 

Asked whether SUPP and UPP would ‘square it off’ in the coming state election in the event that both parties failed to agree, Wong said UPP would leave it to the wisdom of the BN chairperson and other coalition leaders.

 

“I believe the chief minister has the formula, and that is why he asked the parties to talk. Otherwise, as chief minister, he will not say anything,” he added.

 

SUPP leaders when contacted refused to comment.

 

However, a former party leader said the lunch snub was a clear indication that SUPP ( left ) refuses to have anything to do with UPP.

“It shows the seriousness and irreconcilable differences between the two Chinese-based parties, as SUPP would never discuss with UPP any seat allocation,” said the former leader, who did not wish to be named.

 

He said for SUPP, talking to UPP meant making seat concessions, pointing out that UPP was asking for Bengoh, Opar, Engkilili and Bawang Assan, in which they are the incumbents.

 

However, SUPP, he said, had vowed to contest all 19 seats, including the four held by UPP now.

 

“The seats were contested by them (UPP) when they were in SUPP and they cannot bring these seats with them after they were sacked from SUPP for breach of discipline.

 

“These seats belong to SUPP,” he stressed.

 

SUPP went through a crisis in 2011 which led to the sacking of several leaders, including the four elected representatives – Wong Soon Koh (Bawang Assan), Jerip Susil (Bengoh), Ranum Mina (Opar), and Johnichal Rayong (Engkilili).

 

Last year, they formed UPP ( above ) to continue with their political struggle.