By Joseph Tawie
Rebellion is brewing in the Engkilili branch of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).
Its chairman, Toh Heng San, has warned of “severe consequences” if the party nominates maverick Johnichal Rayong to contest the Engkilili seat in the coming state election.
He said the consequences would include his resignation from the party.
He was responding to an announcement by SUPP president George Chan that the party’s central working committee (CWC) had accepted Rayong and would nominate him for Engkilili. Chan’s statement, reported today in a local daily, confirmed speculation that had been circulating for two years and causing unease among branch members.
“There will be chaos and back-stabbing in Barisan Nasional,” Toh said.
“The party has gone against the Barisan agreement not to accept any independent who contested against a BN candidate. If SUPP is against this agreement, and if BN endorses it, then the party will create a precedent.
“In the coming state election, there will be many people contesting as independent candidates against Barisan, and upon their victories they will return to Barisan.”
In the last election, Rayong contested on a Sarawak National Party (SNAP) ticket and beat SUPP candidate Jonathan Krai by 426 votes.
He soon left SNAP and became a member of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), but state Barisan Nasional leaders strongly objected to SPDP’s decision to accept him. He then became a BN-friendly independent assemblyman.
Toh, a former assemblyman for Engkilili, said he would quit SUPP if the party confirmed Rayong for the Engkilili candidacy.
“It’s not important how many people will join me in quitting the party,” he added.
He accused the CWC of abusing its power and going against a decision of the SUPP’s delegates’ conference and central leadership.
“The CWC should revoke its decision,” he said.
Toh said that SUPP, in accepting Rayong, had fallen into the trap of a “certain leader” of another BN component party.
Although he did not name the leader, observers familiar with the bickering in Sarawak BN speculated that he was referring to Alfred Jabu anak Numpang, deputy president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu.
He said this leader had always tried to undermine SUPP’s influence in Engkilili.
Rayong is married to a relative of Jabu’s. — FMT
Thanks Ronnie. Great info on the Taib corruption network…
Can anyone wiz-kid create a “dot” map of Sarawak on the NET with pop-up summaries of info & pictures on the ownership of the timberlands & how they are linked up with the Taib empire etc…”Sarawak corruption” at a glance.
This may be extended world wide to show how Sarawak money has gone overseas….
A detailed compilation now would save a lot of investigation time later on when an honest & transparent gov’t with the guts can bring charges against all the thieves & landgrabbers.
Maybe some legal eagles could drafy a list of the charges as an exercise to see where this can go..Suggest Dato JC Fong could do this as he has inside info.
Comment by Abang — October 1, 2010 @ 8:25 AM |
Timber concessions controlled by Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud in which his family members, friends, proxies or political allies are board members or shareholders.
Name of timber concession
Name of board member or shareholder
Position in or percentage of shares held in company
Relationship to current chief minister, source of information.
Bumi Hijau,
26,000 hectares
Douglas Sallang
Director
Former Senator (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist, 6 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing). PBB nominee (12 August 1997 interview with James Chin).
Gayasar, 25,006 hectares
Abang Abdul Karim Tun Abg. Hj. Openg
Director
Elder brother of one of the chief minister’s most important ministers, Abang Johari, the Minister Industry (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist).
Kedasa, 41,000 hectares
Bok Kok Pheng, Wee Ai Choo
Directors
Nominees for SUPP, one of four parties that make up the Sarawak Alliance (12 August 1997 interview with James Chin).
Pasin, size unknown; Rinki, 33,300 hectares
Wahab bin Haji Dollah, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Development (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist).
Director and 50 percent shareholder
Known as “Giant Killer” because he defeated former Chief Minister Tun Rahman in the state assembly elections in the aftermath of the 1987 Ming Court affair. Acted on the CM’s behalf in an attempt to obtain editorial control of the Borneo Post, where he is now a shareholder. Together with the chief minister’s first cousin, Hamid Sepawi, Dollah owns 25 percent of parent company of Utusan Sarawak newspaper. He serves as political lieutenant of Taib, by controlling the political activities, and seeing to the material needs, of eight PBB state assemblymen. He is a strong public proponent of continued Melanau leadership in Sarawak. Dollah is said to have been awarded eight timber concessions by Taib (Sayottaib 2001: sulit 6, dokumen 1-4), although this study identified only five. Dollah makes profits from his timber concessions available to PBB during election time (10 June 1997 interview with Kueh Yong Ann).
Pasin, size unknown
Dollah Ahmat Usop
Director
A relative of Wahab Dollah (6 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing).
Pasin, size unknown
Dolek bin Hj Mit
Director
A close friend and associate of Wahab Dollah (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist) and/or Wahab Dollah’s cousin (6 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing).
Pasin, size unknown
Sharkawi Haji Bohari
Director
Former associate of Wahab Dollah. A former official of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (7 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing). A “Taib nominee” (12 August 1997 interview with James Chin).
Table 4.6 (continued) Timber concessions controlled by Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud in which his family members, friends, proxies or political allies are board members or shareholders.
Name of timber concession
Name of board member or shareholder
Position in or percentage of shares held in company
Relationship to current chief minister, source of information.
Rajang Wood,
309,575 hectares Raplex, 72,251 hectares
Abdillah Bin Haji Abdul Rahim
Director
A former General Manager of Sarawak Timber Industrial Development Corporation (18 August 1997 interview with Raphael Pura). Federal Senator (4 June 1997 interview with a state assemblyman, and 6 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing).
Raplex, 72,251 hectares
Datuk Haji Bujang Mohd. Nor
Director
Former State Secretary of Sarawak under Chief Minister Taib, from the early-to-middle 1980s (26 May 1997 interview with a reliable and informed academic). Former State Financial Secretary. Former chair of Bakun Hydroelectric Electric Corporation (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist). Current Executive Chairman of Harwood. His position on the board of Raplex may be a golden handshake for having held one or more of the posts discussed above (12 August 1997 interview with James Chin).
Rinki, 33,300 hectares
Abdul Hamid Haji Sepawi
Director and 50 percent shareholder
First cousin to the chief minister, and an important business figure in the CM’s family (6 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing). Abdul Hamid is “holding part of the money” for the chief minister (11 June 1997 interview with former Assistant Minister of Finance Patau Ubis).
Sarako, 36,000 hectares; Sarimas, 32,000 hectares
Bustari Yusof
Director and 55 percent shareholder; Director
Although Bustari denies he is a nominee of the chief minister, one source insists that he is. Those who wish to settle the matter for themselves can go to Bustari’s reported watering hole, the Margarita Lounge at the Kuching Hilton (12 August 1997 interview with James Chin).
Sarako, 36,000 hectares
Dulang Holdings
3 percent shareholder
A company run by Bustari Yusof (13 June 1997 interview with well-placed and knowledgeable source in Sarawak).
Seatex Plantations, 30,000 hectares
Hj. Osman Tan
Sri Marzuki
Director, 17 percent shareholder
Son of a former acting Governor of Sarawak (28 May 1997 interview with Jack Wong).
Name of timber concession
Name of board member or shareholder
Position in or percentage of shares held in company
Relationship to current chief minister, source of information.
Seatex Plantations, 30,000 hectares
Hj Khalid Tan Sri Marzuki
Director, 21 percent shareholder
Not only the son of a former acting Governor of Sarawak, but also a former Political Secretary to Chief Minister Taib (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist). The current Political Secretary to Minister of Industry Abang Johari, one of the most powerful members of the current cabinet (9 June 1997 interview with Sim Kwang Yang).
Timplex, 31,500 hectares
Ting Ming Hoi, former Sibu senator, now deceased.
Director
James Chin says that Ting Ming Hoi is a “SUPP nominee” (12 August 1997 interview).
Timplex, 31,500 hectares
Tai Sing Chii
Director
S.K. Lau writes that “when he was having trouble raising political funds in 1970, Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub turned his target to Tai Sing Chii, owner of Pan Sarawak, and hoped that he could ‘borrow’ three units of outboard engine and a few hundred khatis of rice from the latter. Later . . . staff of the company disclosed that Tai Sing Chii had donated about 3,000 dollars to Yakub. So after the latter came to power, he repaid Tai Sing Chii for his donation for more than 3,000 times of the amount donated. As a whole, Tai Sing Chii had made a wise decision. Yakub could still remember him several years after he stepped down from the post of Chief Minister. One day, when we met at Singapore . . . Airport, he still praised . . . Tai Sing Chii. . . . After Yakub lost his power, all of us thought Tai Sing Chii had lost his strong backing also. It seemed that he was finished. But he turned to support Taib. Since then, he got richer and richer” (Lau 1995: chapter 18, page 1).
Timplex, 31,500 hectares
Tuan Haji Abdul Rahim Tai
Director
Brother to deceased SUPP nominee Ting Ming Hoi (19 July 1997 interview with Chiew Chin Sing).
Timplex, 31,500 hectares
Y.M Tunku Zuhri Bin Tunku Zakaria
Director
Member of one of the royal families of Sarawak (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist).
Timplex, 31,500 hectares
Abang Mohd. Bin Abang Sharkawi
Director
Son of a former Resident of Sarawak (6 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing).
Timplex, 31,500 hectares
Awang Jaya bin Pengiran Tajuddin
Director
Former treasurer of PBB’s Bintulu branch (19 July 1997 interview with Chiew Chin Sing).
Comment by Ronnie — September 30, 2010 @ 8:36 PM |
We should not dance to the tune of the BN. We must learn to fight on our own. There should be only one strategy: the will of the people. The land of Sarawak is bigger than PBB, SUPP, PRS and SPDP. Ghandi once said, how can a hundred British Officers resist the will of a million Indians. The words of Mahatma rings true for us in 2010.
Comment by Bourgeois Revolution — September 30, 2010 @ 10:40 AM |
Toh Heng San should stopped issuing warnings to SUPP and its leaders. He should by now do what would be the right thing for the people of Engkilili which SUPP has failed to served in the last 40 over years. It is never too late to redeem himself and work with Pakatan to ensure the people in that constituency will no longer be taken for a ride .
Resign like a real gentleman and for the right reason and with a clear conscience to help the people there benefit from a just government. Get Pakatan candidate elected.
Comment by Mata Kuching — September 30, 2010 @ 8:53 AM |
agree that Toh Heng San should resign from SUPP.He has been saying it once too often,and now its time to walk the talk.
A frog like Rayong will not make it long when come election time,for he been proven to be untrustworthy.
Comment by papayuk — September 30, 2010 @ 6:41 PM |