Defeated Supp candidate in Padungan Lily Yong said today the party will stand by their leader Dr George Chan and see no reason why any head should roll for the party's disastrous outing in the just-concluded state election.

"The party's central working committee (CWC) delegated the responsibility to pick the candidates to a seven-member selection committee. It is a collective responsibility," she told reporters amid reports that some members would like the top leadership to take responsibility for the party's poor electoral performance.

Supp, a member of the state ruling coalition, contested 19 seats and lost eight -- six to DAP and one each to PKR and Snap.

Yong said it would be unfair for any one leader to take responsibility for the party's defeat.

Instead, she added, the party should re-assess its strength, where it had failed and worked harder to win the people's confidence.

"In politics there are always ups and downs. It's nothing new," she added.

Supp had lost before, she said, referring obviously to the loss of Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat at the hands of DAP in 2004.

With the loss of the state seats of Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang and Kota Sentosa in the just-concluded elections and the Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat in the 2004 elections, Kuching, the state capital, is now firmly under opposition control.

Except for PKR's Padungan, the rest of the seats, with the exception of Batu Kawah on the outskirts, are under DAP.

Speaking about her former constituency Padungan, Yong said she was unsure what would happen to plans she had made, including a new market for Padungan, for the betterment of Kuching as the electorate had voted her out.

Yong meets Mafrel

Meanwhile, Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel) chairperson Abdul Malek Hussin, accompanied by some Mafrel officials, met with Yong at the Supp Kuching branch office as a follow-up to several allegations she had reportedly made, including the missing names of electors in Padungan purportedly being moved to other constituencies without their knowledge or them applying to do so.

She had also complained to the independent election watchdog about the inadequacy of computer checking system at polling stations on polling day inspite of the Election Commission having announced earlier 41 (including Padungan) out of 71 constituencies would have the facilities.

Another complaint was the increase of polling districts and polling stations inspite of the reduced number of registered electors.

"Mafrel will pursue all this," Abdul Malek said, adding that it will compile names of a large number of voters to be provided by the aggrieved parties and take it up with the EC later.

"All the necessary details (on the complaints) will be provided by the aggrieved parties," he added.