Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) deputy president Law Hieng Ding said whether he tables another no-confidence motion on party president Dr George Chan at the forthcoming central committee (CC) meeting on Dec 9 will "depend on circumstances".

"It depends on the others (whether they want him to do so again)," he told malaysiakini today.

Law proposed a no-confidence vote on Chan at the central working committee (CWC) meeting on Thursday, citing the party leader's indecisiveness and lack of collective responsibility as among a list of reasons for doing so.

But Chan ,who has helmed the party since 1997 but has come under increasing criticism by many of his party colleagues for the way he has run the party, rejected the motion, saying the CWC had no authority to deal with such matters.

However, he said he would not prevent anyone from introducing such a motion at the forthcoming 168-member CC meeting on the eve of the party's special delegates conference on Dec 9-10.

Law, a former federal minister, had proposed at Thursday meeting that if the no-confidence motion was carried, Chan should relinquish his position and that he (Law) would also do likewise in order to pave the way for younger blood in the party to take over.

Soon Koh tipped to take over

But Chan was not prepared to take the risks as there was no guarantee he (Chan) would survive the vote. The motion was seconded by another CWC member Daniel Ngieng, the former state assemblyperson for Bukit Assek, who is known to be part of the Supp's Vision 2020 Team led by the party's deputy secretary-general and state Second Finance Minister Wong Soon Koh.

Wong, a Foochow like Law, is tipped to take over should Chan, a Miri Cantonese, step down from the No 1 post in the party.

So far Chief Minister and state BN leader Abdul Taib Mahmud has not commented publicly on the leadership problems in Supp. However, sources said he had privately told Supp leaders he would not interfere.