It appears increasingly clear that Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) president Dr George Chan's days as party boss is numbered.

In Kuching yesterday, he was informed that a no-confidence motion would be proposed against him on Dec 10. What is even more bitter for Chan is that his opponents in the party, most of whom are senior party leaders, are now coming out in the open to tell him that he must stand down.

Indeed, the state's oldest-established political party is plunging into its possibly worst internal crisis following the decision yesterday of a group led by deputy president Law Hieng Ding to move the motion against Chan.

Three of the party's branch chairperson - Law Hieng Ding (Meradong branch), Wong Soon Koh (Sibu branch) and Dr Jerip Susil (Bengoh) - have requisitioned the motion to be tabled at the party's special delegates conference (SDC) in Kuching on Dec 10.

"We appeal to all party members and all members of society to join and support us in our cause," they said in a statement after a meeting attended by leaders of various branches in Kuching yesterday morning.

Painful decision

They said, "With a heavy heart, we made this painful and decisive effort to move a no-confidence motion against Dr George Chan as our party president."

"In our party's struggle, we faced many challenges but never so severe as reflected in the recent chain of evens, including the heavy losses suffered by the party in the 2006 state elections.

"As many members expressed their confidence in the lack of a strong leadership, the loss of control over the running of the party in view of the recent chain of events, we cannot do anything else but elect to take this action of moving a no-confidence motion after trying and seeking every conceivable and possible option to save the party," it added.

The meeting at a Kuching hotel were attended by several key leaders of the party and many branch leaders from throughout Sarawak.

Sibu branch is the largest of the party's 35 branches in terms of the number of members. Apart from Soon Koh, who is a senior state minister, also present from the branch were its deputy chairperson and a federal Deputy Minister Robert Lau Hoi Chiew ( right ) and MP for Lanang Tiong Thai King.

The presence of Lau and Tiong indicates the strong support for the move to oust Chan, who is deputy chief minister, as party president as they are closely identified with two of the state's largest business interests, the KTS Group and the Rimbunan Hijau Group.

Even a Bintulu branch leader Paul Yong, who lost in the Kidurong state constituency election, is with the group.

Supp Youth chief Alan Sim and Supp Wanita chief Janet Lau, who is the wife of Robert Lau, are also supporting the same group.

Political liability

A surprise was Dr Jerip Susil, the state assemblyperson for Bengoh and chairperson of the Malaysian Pepper Mareting Board, who jointly proposed the no-confidence against Chan, who has lately come under increasing criticisms from party members and has been told in no uncertain terms he has to stand down if there is any hope of the party regaining public confidence.

Many party members see Chan's close ties with Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud as becoming an increasing political liability for the party.

According to most observers, with such strong support for Chan's rivals, the embattled president appears to be under increasing pressure to call it quits sooner than expected.

So far, Chan has refused to indicate when he will step down as president, although he has given hints that it would be the end of his present three-year term in 2008.

Meanwhile, according to Chinese newspaper reports today, Chan has sent a letter through his lawyer demanding his political nemesis Law Hieng Ding, the MP for Sarikei and a former federal minister, to apologise to him for certain remarks that were reported in certain newspapers recently.

Law confirmed he had received such a letter but reiterated that the party president has not been honest about certain issues with his party colleagues.