SUPP's fate now lies with ROS, says Soon Koh

Kuching (Jan 5, 2012):  The fate of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) is in the hand of the Registrar of Societies (ROS), now that its officers have collected “evidences” of irregularities and manipulations in the branch elections, former deputy secretary-general Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh said today.

“They (ROS) officers have come to the ground to gather evidence of irregularities and manipulations from branches which lodged the complaints,” he told reporters after handing over RM200,000 state government grants to Chinese Primary School Board of Management and Chinese Associations here.

“We are waiting for the ROS to make whatever decisions,” Wong, who is also the State Minister of Local Government and Community Development, said.

“I am sure that they (ROS officials) will be very professional in making the decision,” he said, adding that he had not communicated with the ROS on the complaints.

Wong and his supporters lodged complaints with the ROS as they suspected that the branch elections were being rigged and manipulated before the triennial delegates conference (TDC) was held early last month.

They also boycotted the TDC which elected Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui as the new party president after former Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam stepped down.

Wong said he had not spoken to Chin after the TDC.

“We have not contacted each other in the efforts to solve the internal problems in the party,” he said.

On a statement by party’s deputy president Datuk Richard Riot that he was willing to step down from the post to enable another person to take over, if such action would help to resolve the problems, Wong said:” I don’t want to make any comment on that.

“In any case, it is too premature for Riot to make such a statement,” he said, adding that he did not think that Riot’s stepping down would help to resolve the problems.

Riot, who is also the Deputy Foreign Minister, said that he had no qualms about giving up his party post if such move would bring about reconciliation among the warring leaders.

Expressing his concern that the internal squabble would weaken the party, he said it was his wish to see that the party was united again.

“We need to be united in view of the impending general election which the prime minister may call anytime,” he said.

“It would be hard for SUPP to retain its parliamentary seats of the leaders are quarrelling,” he said. Sematong Express

RM30m needed for Chinese schools, says Kim Yong

Kuching (Jan 4, 2012): An estimated RM30 million is needed to maintain and renovate 200 Chinese Primary School buildings and to construct new ones in Sarawak, Federation of the Kuching and Samarahan Divisions Chinese Associations president Lu Kim Yong said today.

“The amount is based on the feedback we have collected after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has asked State Minister of Local Government and Community Development Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh to come with the estimates,” he said.

Najib, in one of his visits to Sarawak last year, had asked Wong to come up with the estimates after receiving calls by the Chinese School Board of Management for the Federal Government to allocate financial allocation to Chinese schools in Sarawak.

Wong, in turn, asked the federation to get the feedback from the Chinese School Board of Management.

At a simple ceremony today, Lu handed over to Wong the estimates which the federation had prepared.

Wong, who is also the Second Finance Minister, said he would hand over the estimates to Najib for consideration.

Speaking to reporters, Wong said the state government was in the process of identifying 2,000ha of land suitable for the construction of Chinese School buildings.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib, in his dialogue with the Chinese community leaders before the April 16, 2011 state election, had agreed to allocate a total of 2,000ha of land throughout the state for the construction of Chinese schools.

However, the land had not been identified.

Wong, however, stressed that the process of identifying the land took a long time to complete.

“Then there are the problems over  the status of the lands, with the natives claiming that the lands identified as suitable for the construction of the schools are their customary rights lands,” he said.

He said he, being chairman of the state cabinet committee on helping Chinese schools in Sarawak, would be helping the Chinese schools management to raise funds, either from the state and federal governments or from the private sector.

“We want these schools to get sustainable sources of funds rather than on ad hoc basis, which is what is being done now,” he said.

He said getting enough funds had also been a major problem for the Chinese schools as they did not get any annual allocations from the government.

He said Chinese education had been playing a complementary role in helping the government to develop human capital.

Earlier, Wong handed over RM200,000 state government grants to 13 Chinese School Board of Management and Chinese Associations.

He said promised the school board of management and associations to give them the state government grants in his visits last year.- Sematong Express

No attempt to interfere in Court's decision, says Baru Bian

Press statement by Baru Bian, State PKR chief

In recent days, various NGOs and pro BN groups have lodged police reports against the 901 Free Anwar Campaign that is being organized by the PKR’s Angkatan Keadilan Muda citing a multitude of reasons which carry no substance. Accusing the organisers of attempting to get the foreign media to paint the country in a bad light and scaremongering about adverse effects of the protest on the economy is just overstretching the limits of the human imagination.

This peaceful gathering is being organized to show support for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on a day during which his freedom may be taken away from him. We are not interested in attempting to interfere with the court’s decision as we are of the conviction that any court’s decision must be based on the facts and evidence presented to the court in a fair trial and not on any extraneous factors. ‘Fair trial’ being the operative requisite, the conduct of the case from the very beginning has given us no cause for optimism with regard to the verdict that is to be handed down on 9 January 2012. It is obvious to all and sundry, if all were to be honest about it, that the trial has been tainted with political agendas and manoeuvres.

As concerned citizens, we will be exercising our rights guaranteed in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution to peaceful assembly, whether in Kuala Lumpur or in Kuching, to show our solidarity with DSAI and his family.

A group of around 30 PKR members and leaders will be going to KL for this purpose and we stress that the gathering will be peaceful.

Pakatan Rakyat will progress, whatever the decision of the court. We are certain that the Rakyat will continue to move forward with us in this journey towards a truly democratic Malaysia.

Baru Bian

Chairman

PRK Sarawak

State Assemblyman

N70 Ba’ Kelalan