Troublesome ‘cliques’ a danger to SPDP

SPDP members will be watching closely tomorrow's meeting to determine the seriousness of the infighting within the party.

KUCHING: Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president William Mawan Ikom has finally admitted that his party is in trouble.

He said the existence of “cliques” in the party may be dangerous for the nine-year-old party.

“The existence of these cliques may spell trouble for the party. SPDP is strongly against the negative agendas of the cliques as they will lead only to trouble.

“They are only interested to gain power to achieve their own interest,” he said.

Speaking at a Gawai Dayak gathering in Miri, Mawan warned party members not to subscribe to such ideology as it would jeopardise the party’s existing unity.

Although he did not name those who were behind the cliques, it is understood that he was referring to the “SPDP 5”.

The “SPDP 5” comprise four state assemblymen – Peter Nansian (Tasik Biru), Sylvester Enteri (Marudi), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Paulus Gumbang (Batu Danau) – and Mas Gading MP Dr Tiki Lafe.

The group has been at loggerheads with the party leadership since January last year after they and three other supreme council members walked out of a meeting in protest against Mawan’s decision to replace Enteri as secretary-general with Nelson Balang Rining.

Enteri had been Mawan’s right-hand man since the formation of the party in November in 2002, but had fallen out of favour when Enteri objected to the party proposing to extend its wing to Peninsular Malaysia.

Attacks on Mawan

The proposal was initiated by the party’s treasurer-general Tiong King Sing, who is also Bintulu MP.

Four of the “SPDP 5” – Nansian, Enteri, Gumbang and Yunus – had to make peace just before the state election to enable them to be re-nominated to defend their seats.

Soon after the election, the group started to attack Mawan, accusing him of being “deafeningly silent” about party affairs, especially with regard to the loss of two important seats to the opposition.

Mawan’s deputy and assistant minister Peter Nyarok failed to retain the Krian seat which he had served for four terms.

In Ba’Kelalan, Willie Liau, Mawan’s handpicked candidate, had also failed to win the seat for the party.

Mawan attributed the loss in Krian and Ba’Kelalan to “the new strategies and campaigning culture” introduced by the opposition.

He described SPDP’s loss in Krian as an “unexpected twist” and in Ba’Kelalan as a “miscalculation’ which had resulted in the party destabilising its BN support base.

Mawan expects all these issues and more to be raised at the supreme council meeting in Sibu tomorrow.

He assured that no stones would be left unturned in addresing these election issues.

Serious infighting

Meanwhile, party members and the public will be closely watching to see if the “SPDP 5” turn up for the supreme council meeting because their absence will confirm the seriousness of the infighting.

It is alleged that the “SPDP 5” and their followers met last month to discuss their future in the party.

According to sources, two or three options were tossed about during the meeting.

One of these was to challenge Mawan for the leadership of the party, and the second was for the five to quit SPDP and join any member of the state BN. The five are already linked to Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).

The third option is to remain in the party as ordinary members.

There is much suspicion surrounding the “SPDP 5”.

Topping the list is their rumoured “closeness” to Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) senior vice-president Awang Tengah Ali Hassan.

Awang Tengah is also rumoured to be among those in the running to succeed Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.

Mawan suspects that the “SPDP 5” are the “agents of PBB”.

The five have also accused the party leadership of being under the thumb of a “big towkay”, speculated to be Tiong.

Mutual dislike

According to the five, they and the “big towkay” share a mutual dislike for each other.

According to them, during the recent April 16 state election, the “big towkay” deprived them of election funds.

They saw it as a deliberate attempt by the party leadership to ensure they would be in trouble and be forced to kneel and beg for funds.

Refusing to cower, they instead sought the help of Awang Tengah, who is the Barisan Nasional (BN) treasurer-general.

To SPDP, the financial support from Taib-led PBB seemed to confirm their “connection” with the party.

Meanwhile, Nansian denied that the group would snub the party’s supreme council tomorrow, but admitted he himself could not attend due to an official function overseas.

“We do not have any intention to go against the party as well as against the president,” he said.