Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) deputy president Law Hieng Ding has demanded that everything connected with the Supp Forward Plan be made clear, failing which it would be wrong to ask party members to swallow it whole.

"Valid questions have been asked on the Supp Forward Plan like its terms of reference, scope of work and time frame for the committee to achieve its target. All these are genuine questions which Supp members and the public want answers to. If no answers are forthcoming, they cannot be blamed for thinking that this is just another game Supp is playing," he said in a statement today.

Law said that as deputy president of the party, it was his responsibility to demand that everything connected with the plan be made clear.

"It is my duty to explain party matters to Supp members and others who are our supporters. If everything about the forward plan is not made clear, I doubt people will support it. It is also not fair to request them to support things blindly," he said.

The Supp Forward Plan was mooted by party president Dr George Chan a week ago. He chairs the plan committee and has appointed all central committee (CWC) members to sit in the committee.

On the president appointing himself as chair of the committee, Law said that he was unable to comprehend why the party president insists on chairing his so-called Forward Plan committee when he (Chan) is the reason why Supp is in such a precarious position today.

"This situation can be likened to a person charged in court who is also the judge trying his own case and delivering his own judgement on himself. That is a real mockery of any system and sadly, Supp has been put in such a tight spot again," he lamented.

Include others as well

Law said it would be appropriate to let party's deputy secretary-general and state Second Finance Minister Wong Soon Koh chair the plan committee.

"As he is likely to be the next party president, Wong should be given the opportunity now to carry out reforms in the party. I am sure all Supp people want to see him (Wong) inherit a strong and united party. Hence, he should be allowed to chair the committee if it is genuinely about charting out reforms and the future direction of the party," he said.

Law also wanted more people, including branch leaders and professionals, to be brought into the committee.

"Constant feedback from our grassroots leaders is important to help top party leaders chart out plans of action for implementation down the line. Lest we forget, our members and supporters on the ground are directly responsible for many of the party's successes in the past. To turn a deaf ear to their cries and to keep them in the dark over major party plans and programmes could prove disastrous to our party."

He warned that Supp must learn from the party's dismal performance in last May state elections.

"Supp did not listen to the people and we cannot afford another disastrous outing in the coming parliamentary elections," Law said.

Speak up, Sim told

In the state election this year, Supp lost seven of the seats it contested - the party's worst performance in its 47-year-old history.

On party's secretary-general Sim Kheng Hui's threat that the party would take disciplinary action against party leaders and members who speak their mind about the faults of the party president and problems within the party, Law challenged Sim to pluck up enough courage and explain why SUPP was almost wiped out in Kuching in the elections and why a party candidate was not appointed the Kuching City South Mayor.

"It is precisely because SUPP leaders in Kuching dare not speak up on the ills of the party today that I have to stand up for Supp Kuching," he said.

"I wish to reiterate that I have nothing to gain in all these. I am ready to step down as deputy president anytime and this is my last term as the MP for Sarikei.

"But before I bow out totally, I want to see the present sickly Supp re-energised with a clean bill of health and in the care of safe and capable hands, Law added