‘SUPP’s declaration a joke’

Sarawak United People's Party's 10-point declaration to save itself in the GE13 is too little too late, considering it has been in 'power' for 30 years, says DAP.

KUCHING: Local opposition parties here are laughing over Sarawak United People’s Party’s (SUPP) 10-point declaration which includes “fighting corruption”.

It’s a well-known fact here that several SUPP “seniors” are Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and his family’s business cronies.

It was on this premise that opposition DAP won its 12 seats in the last state election.

Pointing out the irony of SUPP’s 10-point manifesto, Stampin DAP candidate Julian Tan said it was a pledge that came a little too late in the day for SUPP.

The Barisan Nasional partner is on an uphill batte to retain its five seats. SUPP lost two seats – Bandar Kuching and Bandar Sibu – to DAP.

Tan is himself up against SUPP stalwart and incumbent Yong Khoon Seng, 73.

Said Tan: “SUPP has been in the government over the past 30 years in Sarawak and only now it comes up with this manifesto. It should have been done many years ago. It’s a joke.”

Apart from pledging to take “swift and drastic” action combating corruption, the other key points in the SUPP declaration was a promise to “strongly” request the federal government to recognise the Chinese Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) and to urge both the state and federal governments to award government projects by public tender.

SUPP has also promised to ask the Housing and Local Government Ministry to construct at least 100,000 houses over the next five years priced at below RM100,000 for the lower income groups and to ensure that the native customary rights (NCR) land throughout the state is surveyed within the next five years.

‘Why now?’

Commenting on the declaration, Tan, who is an aerospace engineer, doubted if SUPP could implement its pledges.

“For example, on the fight against corruption, what is its stand on corruption as exposed by Global Witness implicating the chief minister of Sarawak?

“And what is its stand on the chief minister saying that he would not cooperate with MACC [Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission] as it was ‘naughty’?

“Tell the rakyat now of your stand. Don’t wait until after the election,” Tan said.

On SUPP’s second point, he said that almost every election the people heard SUPP talking about the Chinese UEC.

“All high-ranking universities had already recognised UEC, and yet Malaysia is still pending.

“When Pakatan Rakyat states that it will recognise UEC when it forms the next government, they (SUPP) too says that it will do the same. Why now after 30-plus years?”

Meanwhile, Tan also chided his opponent Yong for claiming that five DAP elected representatives had “nothing to do but make daily complaints against SUPP and the government”.

“Of course, we complain and scold SUPP every day because it does not do its work properly.

“As an opposition, it is our work to supervise the current government and SUPP, and if they do not do their job properly of course we scold them every day,” he said, referring to many broken promises and failed projects.