SUPP and the calls to reform

Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else. ~Ivern Ball

by Hwang Fei-hung

KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has been forewarned about six years ago that it must carry out the necessary ‘reform’ in the party.

The reason was the State Barisan Nasional (BN) could see that the party was gradually drifting away from the Chinese community which it was representing.

Although SUPP could always argue that it is a multi-racial party, the real politics says it is a Chinese party – or to be more acceptable to the party members, it is a Chinese-dominant party.

However, it is an open secret that the Bumiputera leaders such as the Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot Jaem and Bengoh assemblyman, Dr Jerip Susil are uncomfortable in SUPP.

It is difficult for them to function as the party leaders when the Chinese leaders in the party treating are them as an ‘outsiders’.

And again SUPP could argue that it never did that, but the fact is – which is an open secret – the Bumiputera leaders are not well treated by the party.

Thus, it is not a surprise when to see the party members from the Bidayuh community had pressured the party to give a deputy minister post, which was left vacant with the demise of Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew, to leaders from the community.

And interestingly, the Bidayuh leaders from other BN component parties were also joining the fray. As veterans in politics, they were well aware of SUPP’s character – i.e. the interest or welfare of the party members who are Bumiputeras are always neglected.

Although SUPP was yet to be at its lowest ebb (as it is still going down now), these leaders knew that SUPP could not reject their demand out rightly.

The Chinese community continued to distance themselves from the party – and therefore the party had to ensure that the Bumiputeras were still with the party.

In one of the State Cabinet meetings that took place before the Gawai Festival, the State BN Chairman Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud gave a grim reminder to the SUPP president Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr George Chan Hong Nam on the need to get the party to win the support of the Chinese community before the state election.

Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had anticipated years ago that SUPP would be losing support from the Chinese community.

He had shared his fear with Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Ham on countless occasions but seemed that Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Ham failed to address the matter.

Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud knew very well of the Chinese sentiment on SUPP but as the State BN Chairman, he must not interfere with the internal affair of the party.

He must not be seen as trying to force any reform movement in the party – or the Chinese community would regard the party as belonged to Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Thus, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had no choice but to take the risk by depending on Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Ham to ‘reform’ the party.

And Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had also given out business deals to Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Nam because the latter said he needed money for the party.

Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had to give in to these requests – although he was a bit of reluctant because he didn’t see any reform in the party and at the same time the Chinese community was still distancing themselves from the party – because he didn’t want Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Ham to perceive that Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud didn’t want to help SUPP.

However, during the recent Sibu by-election, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud was shocked when the party was asking for money to carry out its campaign.

He was wondering where all the monies had gone to!!!

He had given many business deals to the party by which it was not a problem at all for SUPP to finance the campaign using its own money.

And again, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had to relent and tell Dato Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan to give RM3 million to SUPP.

May be Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Nam thought that since Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud could be the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president for a long period, he could also emulate the same feat.

He, however, fails to realize the fact that PBB and SUPP are two distinctly different parties.


PBB is a Bumiputera party which SUPP is a Chinese-dominant party.

These two communities have different mindsets and expectations from their party leaders.

By now, Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan Hong Nam should have seen  reports on the party’s chances in the coming state election.

May be the time has come for him not to assume the writing on the wall is not for him.