By Joseph Tawie
Assistant Minister Larry Sng has some serious choice to make: should he quit his post and accept Sarawak United People’s Party’s (SUPP) offer of an “ordinary” membership and “no contesting in Pelagus” clause or just go it alone as an independent?
Sng is Pelagus assemblyman and, according to his constituents, an “effective” one to boot.
Young and dynamic, he enjoys the support of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and despite having been thrown out by his party – Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) – following a leadership tussle and with nowhere to go, he has remained in the state Cabinet and continued to serve his constituency.
Yesteday, a senior party leader, who declined to be named, said Sng may join SUPP but on condition he quits his ministerial posts.
“He must resign as an assistant minister, and then he can apply to be a party member, and don’t talk of defending his Pelagus seat.
“These are the views of the majority of SUPP leaders. These views will be passed on to Sng, ” said the leader.
Sng, however, has repeatedly, expressed his interest in retaining his Pelagus seat, which PRS president James Masing has said “belongs to PRS”.
Masing has in no uncertain terms said the seat “is not negotiable”.
SUPP party president George Chan has echoed Masing’s stand, saying that the party will not seek swaps which were against the Barisan Nasional spirit.
“We share the stand taken by Masing that seats allocated to component parties based on the current arrangement of the state BN are not negotiable,” Chan has said.
He has also reportedly said that SUPP had already identified its candidates for the coming state election, which must be held before June 2011.
And Sng’s name, he said, was not on the list of candidates in the 19 seats allocated to SUPP.
Choices
Of late, Sng’s political future has been much debated. Some see him as being able to play an important role in SUPP, being a young Chinese leader coming from a wealthy family – his father is well-known merchant Sng Chee Hua and father-in-law is tycoon Ting Phek Kiing.
But there are others who feel that he is better off joining Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) where he can contest in the Meluan seat to replace Wong Judat, who is said to have fallen out of party favour.
But some of Sng’s strong supporters want him to defend the Pelagus seat as an independent and should he win, he can join the BN later on.
After all, they said, a precedent has been created with Johnichal Rayong. Rayong contested against BN in 2006 as an independent and won the seat. His attempts at getting BN to accept him into its fold finally bore fruit when Taib officially welcomed him last week. Rayong is now an SUPP member.
The common view is that SUPP currently has a number of “vacancies” and could do with “winnable” candidates.
According to an SUPP observer, although the party has identified its candidates for its allocated seats, it is not definite that the identified persons may be fielded.
The observer said Chan has maintained that the “final decision on candidates will depend on whether they were winnable”.
This means Sng will have a choice if Chan decides to replace some incumbents whom he feels have become ineffective in their respective constituencies.
SUPP aims to redeem the seven seats – Meradong, Kidurong, Bukit Assek, Batu Lintang, Padungan, Pending and Kota Santosa – which the party lost to the opposition in the last election.
For instance, the Meradong seat is more suited for Sng as his father-in-law, Ting, is a “saudagar” from the area. — FMT
The best for Larry Sng in the light of Johnical Rayong has recently been accepted into BN and will contest under BN symbol is to contest in Pelagus. Only after winning will he consider, and, could in such situation, decide to accept the best of offers. In the meantime, in order to make his bargain heavier, he should form a group. He must never have amindset that he is there as he is because he is Larry Sng and rich. He is there because of PBDS and his father Sng Chee Hua and the latter association intra-PBDS and viz-a-viz James Masing.That previous link is gone. So now he has to be, like what Toh Soo Khun of Gerakan once said recently, “a playing mantiz”, and to be playing a new ball game. Winning that new ball game later on Larry Sng will realy be a man of high value and of reckon. Forget about the BN badge for the moment. After all, too, the people of Pelagus, all of them including Penghulus and KKs, Councillors and many-many students who had obtained financial supports in the past their parents, and are feeling obliged to vote for him. After that become a Deputy CM taking over from George Chan whom many pundits are saying will kiss his arse goodbye to his current seat in Miri anyway.
Comment by ilham — November 12, 2010 @ 2:13 PM |
ENCOURAGING NZ VIEW ON THE ELECTIONS AND CORRUPTION
In some 45 years Sarawak’s Taib Mahmud, his Uncle Yakub before him, their relatives, cronies, associates, timber tycoons, oil palm magnates, shipping, realty, mining and construction moguls, etc, etc, have directly or indirectly ‘stolen’ from Sarawak (including tax evasions) an astronomical amount:
Based on RM$2billion a year x 45 years equates to RM$90 billion = RM$90,000 million = RM$90,000,000,000.
By Alan Newman
To Everyone in Malaysia,
Speaking as a neutral, 3rd party observer, and hailing from NZ* (*voted as No. 1 in the world for non-corruption), please make all your loved ones, friends, associates, neighbours, countrymen realise this:
In some 45 years Sarawak’s Taib Mahmud, his Uncle Yakub before him, their relatives, cronies, associates, timber tycoons, oil palm magnates, shipping, realty, mining and construction moguls, etc, etc, have directly or indirectly ‘stolen’ from Sarawak (including tax evasions) an astronomical amount:
Based on RM$2billion a year x 45 years equates to RM$90 billion = RM$90,000 million = RM$90,000,000,000.
Enough to build electric train lines, super highways, hundreds of schools, hospitals, several universities, multifarious amenities and bring tremendous development and wealth for the people.
In returrn for being elected, Taib deceived the people for 30 years, and yet he still stands proud and shouts today, without the slightest trace of conscience, morality or sense of shame.
Yet people in the street are heard saying: “Of course vote for the Government, they have money for development. Opposition - no money.” Oh My God! Look at your DAP Party taking the CM post and government in Penang!
All must wake up and act NOW, not tomorrow!
For a start, team up and bring a Class Action Lawsuit (concerted legal action) against your MACC (Anti Corruption Agency).
Then press for Taib to be arrested immediately. If necessary, start street protests, state-wide work-stoppages, blockades of roads and airports. He must be brought to justice and all wealth hunted down, audited and returned to the State. None of the tycoons spared in the exercise either.
Recently an MP in NZ Taito Philip Field was jailed for using Asian immigrants to do up his house in return for promises of helping them with residence application; just for that! What a contrast to your Country!
Alan Newman,
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Comment by Abang — November 11, 2010 @ 10:58 PM |
Larry Sng should pick up on his honeymoon where he left off some 30 months ago?
Some PKR people have asked for CUTI, too!
)
Check here – http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/9900/matsamankaticuti.jpg
Comment by Wayang Street — November 11, 2010 @ 3:05 PM |