Joseph Tawie | May 28, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
After thumbing its nose at the Taib government, party makes an about turn and decides it needs its two candidates in the state cabinet
KUCHING: The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has made a 360 degree turn. Last month, after its poor election showing, it said it wanted nothing to do with Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s government.
The Central Working Committee (CWC), at a meeting last month, decided not to recommend any of SUPP’s elected representative to serve in the cabinet of Taib Mahmud after the party’s dismal showing in the election.
That decision nearly tore the party apart. But at today’s CWC meeting, it unanimously agreed that Wong Soon Koh and Lee Kim Shin should represent the party and the Chinese community in the new cabinet of Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Wong and Lee are the only Chinese who were re-elected to their constituencies of Bawang Assan and Senadin respectively.
Thirteen other Chinese candidates lost in the recently concluded election. However, SUPP’s four Dayak candidates were all returned.
“The CWC members were unanimous in their decision that the two to represent the party and the Chinese community in the cabinet,” said SUPP president George Chan.
“If we are in BN, we must have representatives in the BN government,” he said.
Chan said that SUPP will definitely remain in the BN. The party has agreed to make “sweeping and major” changes to the party’s set up, including in all branches, youth and women wings.
“We agreed to revamp and get new leaders, even at the branch level.
The top leaders have decided not to seek re-election at the triennial delegates conference at the end of the year.
“We’ll conduct roadshows and explain to branch leaders the position of the party and at the same time to get new leaders to help run the party,” he said.
He said that all the CWC members will go to the ground and explain to members.
they also announced that the big 5 will step down. but please do not believe these crooks. they have been milking the people enough and they would not want to lose the opportunity. i am sure they will find ways to stay on, even thinking about the parliamentary election. these people have no shame.
That’s the motto of being in UmnoBN.
They say something, it must be the other way around.
Who doesn’t want money, fame and power?
The prospect of being a minister in the state cabinet is just too tempting!
I don’t blame SUPP for making a 360 degree turn.
Why must the five be sacrificed for the 1 big one ? If you do not want to have anything to do with the 1 big one, then you will have to become the opposition. Is there such a thing as an opposition within the ruling party ? While it is BN, it is opposing BN. While you vote for BN, you are opposing BN. A face with many masks.
SUPP talking the same language like MCA!…unprincipled political eunuchs. All bloody liars and ball lickers. The day they stop to behave like deranged low lives and be constructive and honest with the electorate, perhaps, there is light at the end of the tunnel for this dying component party in the BN coalition.
So the leaders of UMNO/BN, stop shagging the electorate.
There. Learning well. Just as mca and gerakan have asked of supp. “Reform.” Said they. “We are now reformed”, screamed supp. “U-turning, twisting, turning, denying, … the whole works”. Yes boy yes. Well done and keep it up. Doesnt GE13 now feels kinda less scary?
Please enlighten me, is it 360-degree turn or 180-degree turn. In maths, if you turn 360 degrees, you are back to square one. Or is it English is so different in everyday situation?
#7 by omeqiu
I think it is 180 degree turn. This phrase is often used in Mandarin.
it is perhaps right. supp started to turn, but at the end, it is back to the original position. so no change is anticipated
360degree is correct term. first they say Chinese need representation. Then they say if Chinese don’t vote them they will relinquish all representation. Now they are back in square one by accepting the posts and without majority Chinese supporting them. Malulah. 360 degree turn like a dog chasing its own tail.
Natural, 360 degree change. Outwardly purpose of politics is public service & representation but for most it is to get into office and with the exercise of influence/power, to enjoy the respect that position affords and line one’s pockets with taxpayers money from exercise of power.
Here SUPP may be so called multiracial but CM Taib wanted appearance of multiracial representation in state government esp in relation to Chinese representation. More so he is not popular especially with Chinese majority constituencies. If Wong Soon Koh and Lee Kim Shin won Chinese majority seats Bawang Assan and Senadin, it makes partical sense or CM to offer positions (esp Wong, already a Finance Minister II in the state Cabinet, to accept positions. If former deputy chief minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who lost in Piasau & other leaders who losttheir seats were to not make 360 degree turn, they would be baccused dog in manager and cause a internal split within SUPP.
360 degrees is right. It is going back to square one. It is shifting the paradigm back to where it comes from and it can be worse than before it ever shifted. The words sound so great, so first class but the meaning is what it is meant to be. If it is 180 degrees, it would mean turning everything upside down and inside out and everything will be truly different. It does not go back to square one. In fact, BN will be obsolete because it was there when we had our independence and till today, it is there. What shift is there ? Same people. Same people seen. Same unseen hands. Just the same. You only rebrand but what is inside is the same.
What can this party do? Before the state election, we even heard that the party wanted to get out of BN. The surprised news is always followed by the news of no change.
When SUPP was partially defeated in previous state election, all those goodies should have taken responsibilities and retired. The President George Chan mentioned about retirement and then overstayed. No doubt that he and the rest will do the same until their last breath. The collapse of any dynasty is due to overstaying in power that led to power abuse and corruption. BN and SUPP are moving along this same road to extinction, thus no one can save them from losing power.