Someone higher up is behind crisis in SPDP, claims Baru Bian

Kuching (Jan 11, 2012): Sarawak PKR boss Baru Bian said he believed someone higher up is behind the crisis in Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP.

"If you reporters want to conduct an investigation why the crisis started, there is a lead for you to start.The lead is someone higher up," he told reporters at the party headquarters at Batu Tiga bazaar here today.

Baru, the state assemblyman for Ba'Kelalan, however, declined to identify who he referred to as someone higher up, but suggested that SPDP is being manipulated to trigger the crisis.

"It appears that someone does not want to see SPDP, being a Dayak-based party, stable," he said.

Asked whether the four parliamentary seats now held by SPDP would be wrested by Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election, Baru said he did not think that PK should advantage of SPDP's weakness.

"We should focus on our strengths and issues that we have raised, not on the weaknesses of other people," he said.

He said the people should give PK a chance to govern the country based on its strengths and agenda for the people.

"Try us. Vote us in the coming election," he said.-Sematong Express

Jabu slammed for his below par performance

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu has been slammed for his below par performance as chairman of the state disaster and relief management committee.

"I am very disappointed with him. He keeps on disappearing when Sarawak is under seiged by the floods. So far he has been giving two press conferences regarding the floods and relief assistance,” Sarawak PKR vice chairman See Chee How complained today.

“I must say that his performance as the state disaster and relief management committee chairman is really below par,” the PKR Batu Lintang state assemblyman, told reporters.

He said he had received many complaints from the flood victims of their inability to seek assistance from the state government and the state flood operations room.

He said the operations room should inform the public of its contact numbers to call when there was floods occurring in their areas.

“I personally feel that the disaster and relief management committee is led by a wrong person,” he insisted.

See said former Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan was always on the grounds when he was heading the committee.

“He (Dr Chan) would have a daily press briefing to inform the public, especially those who were staying in low-lying areas,” he said.

See said he was in Siburan last night after receiving calls that some parts of the area were under one metre of water, after a heavy downpour over the last 24 hours.

“They (residents) have been calling their Barisan Nasional’s elected representative to attend to their problems, but nobody came, so they called us,” he said.

Taman Durandah Emas in Siburan, which is under the Bengoh state constituency, was the worst affected area.

See said that there was no problem in areas under Kuching Division.

"I must commend the Kuching Division relief committee. They have done a good job," he said.

He said he was in the dark as to what were happening to the flood victims in other parts of Sarawak because Jabu was not giving out information on them.

See urged Jabu to buck up, and be more responsible towards the flood victims.

Jugol is set to be next SNAP's president

 Outgoing  Sarawak National Party (SNAP) secretary-general Stanley Jugol is set to be the next party’s president as his name was the only one received to contest for the post at the triennial delegates conference this Sunday.

Nominations for all the contested posts closed last Friday.

The party’s credentials committee chairman Frankie Jurem said in the absence of any other candidate for the post, Jugol would automatically be the next party’s president, taking over from Edwin Dundang who declined to seek re-election.

The TDC, originally scheduled to be held on Sept 25 last year, was postponed to Jan 15, 2012 after it was discovered that one of the presidential candidates, Michael Lias, was found to be not a member of the party.

It was revealed that he was a member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

Lias was also a proposer of three other candidates.

Lias has since been sacked from SNAP for dual membership.

Meanwhile, the rest of the elected posts in the party would also be won unopposed.

Former Telang Usan state assemblyman Kebing Wan is be confirmed as deputy president.

He has been the acting deputy president after the sacking of Ting Ling Kiew in 2010 for campaigning for the Barisan Nasional in the Batang Ai by-election in 2009.

Kebing’s name was the only received by the credentials committee to contest for the post.

Hotelier Jimmy Wong would also be returned unopposed as senior vice president, taking over from Kebing.

Jurem said he and four other candidates would be returned unopposed as vice presidents of the party.

Apart from Jurem, the others are oil palm plantation manager Dan Giang,  businessman Walter Dayrell Entrie, lawyer Anthony Liman Sujang and businessman Roland Teo.

The TDC will endorse the eligibility of the candidates.

Jurem said the TDC would also be discussing plans and strategies for the coming general election anticipated to be called this year. by Sematong Express

Rain pushes prices of greens up

Kuching (Jan 6, 2012): Torrential rain over the last few weeks have pushed the prices of vegetables sold at the Stutong wholesale vegetable and fruit market, substantially.

Many of the vegetable growing areas in Serian, Tapah, Siburan and Beratok, are flooded after heavy rain, destroying the vegetables.

"Those which we sell here are from higher grounds," said a Sino-Bidayuh farmer who sells his vegetables at the Stutong wholesale market.

Stutong wholesale market is where vegetable middlemen and vegetable farmers come during evening to wholesale their products, mostly to vegetable vendors at wet markets in Kuching.

Citing an example, a small-leaf bayam is now sold at RM15 a kilogramme as against RM2 three weeks ago while brinjal is sold at RM5 per kg (RM2 previously) and long bean is offered at RM6 per kg (RM2.5 previously).

Even kangkong, which thrives well in wet condition, is sold at RM4 per kg (up from RM1.80).-Sematong Express

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