Kuching, March 11, 2012: Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president Tan Sri William Mawan said he did not rule out the possibility that the five expelled senior members would return to the party’s fold, though not in the immediate future.
“Anything is possible,” he said when asked to comment on Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s hope for the “Gang of Five” to reconcile with SPDP’s leadership.
“I believe everything is not a complete impossibility as SPDP is a very moderate and reasonable party,” Mawan, who is also the Minister of Social Development, said after chairing the party’s supreme council meeting yesterday.
The five – Assistant Minister of Public Utilities Datuk Sylvester Entrie Muran, Assistant Minister of Industrial Development Datuk Peter Nansian, Assistant Minister of Early Childhood Education Rosey Yunus, Batu Danau State Assemblyman Paulus Gumbang and Mas Gading Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe – were expelled from the party last year on grounds of bringing the party into disrepute.
Taib, who is also the State Barisan Nasional chairman, had said tha the five should be given time to reconcile.
He had said that SPDP would have much to lose and without the five elected representatives, the party was not in a good position.
Mawan agreed with Taib’s analysis of the situation in SPDP and the positions of the five.
He said it was inevitable that a crisis would happen in a party where members would leave or be expelled, but later on they would return to the fold.
“Things happen here and there….gone today, but comes again tomorrow.
“Therefore, we are not ruling out, for political purpose, for us to reconcile with each other,” he said, adding that the suggestion by Taib was “reasonable”.
“We in SPDP have the responsibilities for the overall well-being of the Barisan Nasional, but, at the same time, in working towards reconciliation, we have to look at the position from our party’s angle.
“We have to be firm at certain point in time so to avoid the party from being ripped apart, not because of personal reasons or that we are trying to demonise each other, but for the interest of the party and the BN,” he said.
He said the reconciliation process should not be expedited, but should be allowed time to take place.
“But we must be walking towards it, and not away from it, and if we try to use the short-cut in finding solutions, then we will be running into major problems,” he said, adding:”If we use the short-cut, it is like jumping from the frying pan to the fire.”
He said that the views and opinions of the party members must be sought before reconciliation could take place.
Mawan said he had spoken to the five before they were expelled from the party, even though they had expressed their loss of confidence in his leadership.
“It is up to them whether they want to reconcile,” he said.
On reports that the Gang of Five would form a new political party, Mawan said he had no objection to it as it was their right.
“It is up to the Registrar of Societies to register their party, but I will strongly oppose if they want their party to join the Barisan Nasional.
“Any admission of a new party to the BN’s fold must be through consensus,” he said.
Ends
1 comment:
Mawan is now known to blow hot and cold when it pleases him, or as he pleases. He dismissed the Group of 5 and now after CM Taib has taken interest in the matter, Mawan is saying that the Group of 5 is "80% reconcilable with the party. People know that after the dismissal of 4 state assemblymen he has left himself and Wong Judat only. And by a rule of numbers game (4 vs 2) Mawan is defeated. So he now wants to get all those dismissed 5 back to SPDP. By this Mawan is seen as a very weak leader.
The worst for him to do is in respect of Mas Gading's candidate. He has oftentime said that Tiki Laffe will not be nominated as a candidate. And that there are 5 good capable and winnable candidates comprised of senior civil servants and some private entrepreneurs, ready and willing to replace Tiki. For one I think it is very bad of him to get people from the civil service. Dayaks in the civil service are very small and declining in number, why pick up senior civil servants at all after all they are not members of SPDP, or are they? are they in political party already while they are still in civil service? Why, are there not other people in the party?
On the other hand when in one breath Mawan is talking of reconcilation with Group of 5 including Tiki, while the Group of 5 have said it they want Tiki as candidate for Mas Gading in the coming GE13 and they won't want other persons else, then what will happen should reconcilation take place in the terms demanded of by the Group of 5. Surely Mawan needed the 4 state assemblymen dearly now otherwise he would not even to extent of loosing face to want to reconcile tiwh the Group of 5 that he had sacked just a few months before. Now that Mawan has exposed other candidates for Mas Gading?
My advice to Mawan is better for him to resign and leave Taib cabinet, or follow Dtk Endawie formula, join foreign service to keep cool. The Group of 5 can rejoin the party on their terms: Tiki will be candidate for mas Gading. And either Nansen or Entree will take over as president of SPDP. So what then?
The meeting of SPDP in Bintulu this weekend is merely a show. The recruitment currently conducted of young professionals by the party is meaningless because under the present system the party SPDP will not grow. In fact with Mawan at the top it will surely finish by self implosion to begin with. And the people will reject SPDP in the future because of the president is indecisive, or worst, very weak.
Post a Comment