PM may call for next election in Feb or March, says Baru Bian

PM Najib may call for next general election in Feb or March, says Baru Bian

Kuching (Dec 6, 2011): Sarawak PKR speculates that Prime Minister Najib Razak may call for the next general election, as early as Feb or March next year, to have his own mandate from the electorate.

"There are signs that he will call for an early election rather than waiting for the current term of parliament to expire in 2013," PKR chief Baru Bian told reporters yesterday.

"As such, we are making our own preparation early for the election. We want to get better prepared this time around," he said, referring the state election on April 16 this year, in which PKR was not fully ready to face the voters.

Baru, who is also the State Assemblyman for Ba'Kelalan, said Sarawak PKR had gone to the ground to meet and have dialogues with the people as often as possible soon after the State Election.

On the seat allocations with DAP and PAS, he said it was on-going.

"Nothing has been finalised yet," he said, stressing that it was  not a major problem among the three component parties of the State Pakatan Rakyat.

"The problems involved overlapping claims in only some seats and in most seats, we do not have any problems at all," he added.

Baru said the PR component parties would help each other once the seat allocations had been finalised.

"If we are not given the seats which we have claimed, we will give our full support to the parties allocated with such seats," he promised.

Baru said both the DAP and PAS had also given similar pledges to PKR.

"What we in the PR want to do is to win in as many seats as possible, and that is why we want to help each other," he added.

On PKR candidates, Baru said only "credible and professional" candidates would be picked to contest on the party's ticket.

"We have to check their backgrounds first to see that they are candidates of credibility with professional backgrounds," he explained.

Baru said Sarawak PKR had identified a list of potential candidates, but would not disclose it for now.

"If we disclose their names, I believe that the Barisan Nasional will harass them, and this is something we do not want see," he said.

Baru said the list would be submitted to the party central political bureau for endorsement.

He, however, admitted that he had offered himself as a candidate to contest in Limbang.

"We have set up a service centre in Limbang," he said.

Baru added it was up to the party central leadership to decide whether he should be the candidate to contest Limbang in the coming general election.-Sematong Express

An altercation between Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and DAP Kota Sentosa State Assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen on Nov 23, the last day of the state Assembly sitting.

Y.B Encik Chong Chieng Jen:  (Inaudible)

Tuan Speaker:  Are you giving way, Yang Amat Berhormat?

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud):  What is the question?

Y.B Encik Chong Chieng Jen: Permission to seek clarification. Yes, just now Yang Amat Berhormat was talking about high income economy and the distribution of the high income economy to the benefits of Sarawak.  I see two impediments in the system which I would like to seek clarification from the Yang Amat Berhormat. In the manner, number one, is the manner in which most major government contracts were awarded to related companies, companies related to Yang Amat Berhormat… (Interruption)

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud): This is old song.  I don’t want to reply them. In the first place, the Honourable Member doesn’t even understand economy.  He said we want to improve the economy by priming.  You know the meaning of priming?

Y.B Encik Chong Chieng Jen:  No, Tuan Speaker.  I am just asking a question… (Interruption)

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud): By intervention of government giving more money.  Not by changing the structure of economy.

Y.B Encik Chong Chieng Jen:  Land has been alienated to companies owned by your children. 

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud): No, these are good governance.  This is not a strategy for development.  So understand economic strategy first before you intervene me.  

Y.B Encik Chong Chieng Jen:  (Inaudible)

Tuan Speaker:  Alright. No, no, no, no.

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud): This is not true.  If you want produce it properly… (Interruption)

Tuan Speaker:  No, no, no.

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud): And documented it properly… (Interruption)

Tuan Speaker:  No, no, no.

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud): Not some half cooked, half cooked… (Interruption)

Tuan Speaker:  No, no, no. I disallowed it, disallowed it.  No, no, no.  I disallowed it.  No, no, no. It’s not allowed. 

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud):  This is all propaganda.  I know that.

Y.B. Encik Chong Chieng Jen:  (Inaudible)

Tuan Speaker:  No, no, no. Honourable Member for Kota Sentosa.

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud):  I know.  You don’t have to say that.  You summon the system properly.  I have nothing to do with it and good goverrment procedures have been observed… (Interruption)

Tuan Speaker:  No, no, no.

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud): and I don’t want to talk to you or to debate to you.  If you want … (Interruption)

Tuan Speaker:  No, no, no.

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud): repeat it in the newspaper and I take a court case against you. Don’t use the privilege of this House for you to make false accusation.

Y.B Encik Chong Chieng Jen:  (Inaudible)

Tuan Speaker:  No, no, no.

Ketua Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar (Y.A.B. Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud):  Okay. I don’t want to give way to you because you are very petty in your debate. 

(Editor's Note: Chong's mike was either switched off or interruptions from the BN backbenchers during the altercation).

Is SUPP following the way of SNAP and PBDS?

Kuching (Dec 4, 2011): After Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), will it be the turn of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) to be deregistered by the Registrar of Societies (RoS)?

Will the deregistration of SUPP lead to the formation of a new Chinese-based multi-racial party in Sarawak?

There are already speculations on the formation of a new party to be formed by a group in SUPP.

Is this group taking a leaf from the deregistration of SNAP and PBDS, and then proceed to form a new party?

SNAP and PBDS were both deregistered following the failures to resolve their respective leadership tussles.

SNAP, formed in 1961, was deregistered in 2002, and in a judicial review last year, the Court of Appeal quashed the RoS order.

A SNAP breakaway group, led by Social Development Minister Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, then the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

PBDS, established in 1983, was dissolved twice, firstly in 2003 and secondly in 2004.
The dissolution of PBDS led to the formation of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), led by Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing.
Complaints of alleged irregularities in SNAP and PBDS were lodged with the RoS before they were deregistered.
It can be assumed that, SUPP, Sarawak’s oldest political party, being formed in 1959, could be following the way of SNAP and PBDS.
RoS has received numerous complaints of alleged irregularities in the elections in some of the branches.
“When complaints have been received, RoS have to act and that means the deregistration of the party,” a political analyst observed.
But the deregistration of the party could be prevented if the two rival factions – the Datuk  Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui and Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh – could reach an amicable solution to end the tussle before the party’s triennial general meeting (TGM) scheduled for Dec 10 and 11.

Both Chin, the Federal Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, and Wong, the State Minister of Local Government and Community Development, are both aiming to be the next president of the party, replacing Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who has indicated that he will be stepping down.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Wong said his faction was not to blame should RoS decide to take action, including deregistering  the party.

Wong’s faction has lodged complaints with the RoS on irregularities at the branch elections.

“We want secretary-general Datuk Sim Kheng Hui and the party’s central election committee to act on the complaints before the TGM,” he said.

Since some branches had lodged complaints to the ROS and also the police, Wong said he did not discount the possibility that the RoS might even decide to ask the party to postpone the TGM or have the party deregistered.

“The last thing we want is to see that our party gets deregistered. They (Sim and central election committee) have to rectify all these irregularities. The TGM is in a matter of days, so the ROS will have to make some decision.

“We leave it to ROS, we won’t know (what actions to be taken),” Wong, the party’s deputy secretary-general, said.

Asked what if the ROS decided to deregister the party, he responded: “Cannot blame us.”

Wong led a group of his supporters meeting the ROS deputy director general Fison Yahaya and Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong in Putrajaya on Thursday last week.

Wong, who is SUPP deputy secretary-general, asserted that their main purpose of meeting up with ROS was to seek advice and to clarify with them on the complaints lodged by the branches.

To another question, Wong denied suggestions that the group had met ROS with the view of setting up a new party. “Definitely no.”

It is learnt that ROS had sent out two letters to the party’s secretary-general after receiving complaints from party branches, including Pending Branch, Kuching Branch, Sarikei Branch, Kanowit Branch, Bintangor Branch and others.

 Meanwhile, it was reported in the Chinese press that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had told Dr Chan, a former Deputy Chief Minister, to bring the Chin and Wong factions to the negotiation table.

Najib, who is also the Barisan Nasional chairman, had told Dr Chan, who was then attending the opening of the Umno general assembly last week, to mediate between the warring factions.

Dr Chan said for a start, the two factions must stop issuing statements in the press.

“They seem to be washing dirty linens in public, making all kind of accusations,” he said.

ends