Pandemonium broke out at a meeting in Kuching last night when leaders of a rival group seeking the ouster of SUPP president Dr George Chan arrived uninvited.

The meeting, attended by representatives from various party branches in Kuching and surrounding areas, was supposed to be a briefing on a Forward Plan touching on some of the issues concerning the Chinese community before the special delegates conference (SDC) scheduled on Sunday, Dec 10.

However, it turned into a tongue-lashing session against Chan's opponents, particularly his most vocal critics, his deputy Law Hieng Ding and deputy secretary-general Wong Soon Koh.

When Chan and his supporters had finished speaking, Law asked if he could speak as well. When nobody objected, he stood up to start speaking and at this point the party president walked out of the hall, followed by his team.

The crowd was stunned at the sudden turn of events, but Law was unable to continue because Chan had given instructions to switch the microphone off.

This made Law angry and the deputy president began to shout.

Met later, he thundered: "What is happening to this party? Why is Chan so afraid to let the crowd listen to what we have to say? What is he trying to hide?"

The arrival of Law and other senior faction leaders, including Wong, his deputy Robert Lau and Youth chief Allan Sim, at the briefing surprised and stunned Chan and his group, including secretary-general Sim Kheng Hui.

"I have every right to be present at the party headquarters as deputy president and member of the party. The party headquarters belongs to everyone," continued the vexed Law.

"We knew about it (the meeting) sometime ago," he said, adding that he and his party colleagues had the right to attend as they were members of the Forward Team as well.

As for the Forward Plan, he said: "There are so many issues not covered by the plan such as poverty. Why talk only of the few issues like land lease renewal, Chinese education and so forth?"

Real strategy

Allan said he believed the real strategy of Chan's faction was to use the Forward Plan as a strategy to get the delegates at the Dec 10 SDC to endorse it.

"By endorsing it they think it will also be an endorsement of support for Chan's leadership, which is not the case," he said, adding that the request by the Law faction for a no-confidence motion and a motion to elect new party leaders at the SDC was still in abeyance.

Such a strategy is clearly to avoid a direct vote being taken on Chan's leadership position which has been openly criticised over the last week or so through the media.

"At this point of time, we do not know whether they will allow our motions to be tabled, even though constitutionally we have met all the requirements by sending in the requisition before the deadline for doing so," added Allan.

There has been talk that the Chan faction may also counter the move by making a requisition for similar motions to be tabled against Law and Wong.

But according to the Youth chief, he doubts there is such a requisition because of the risks involved and instead their strategy is to use the so-called Forward Plan for which Chan is being credited by his supporters to obtain an endorsement of his leadership.

Earlier today, Chan told reporters that the leadership issue would be resolved once and for all during the SDC on Sunday.

Chan's supporters also held similar meetings in Miri and Sarikei.

There was a commotion in Sarikei during yesterday morning's meeting as well. It was organised by party treasurer and state assistant minister David Teng Lung Chi to brief members there on the Forward Plan.

Wong Soon Koh turned up uninvited to speak to the members there much to Teng's displeasure as the latter is a supporter of Chan.

The Law faction leaders were holed up in a five-star hotel in Kuching tonight to plan their next strategy because of what Allan described as the changed tactics of the president and his group.

Law said if the Chan group is moving a vote of no-confidence against him and Wong without as much as going through the constitutional procedures. "I am going to lodge a complaint to the Registrar of Societies."