Poser on whether Judat has resigned from SPDP

Rumour has it that he has left the party but the party says that there is no resignation letter.

KUCHING: There is talk that controversial Meluan assemblyman Wong Judat has resigned from Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party but the party says that they are not aware of it.

SPDP secretary general Nelson Balang Rining said that he is not aware of it. Judat is one of the vice-presidents of the party.

“I have not received any letter of resignation from him, and I have not heard about it (resignation)” Balang told FMT.

All the talk started after Judat declared that he will contest against the incumbent MP for Julau, Joseph Salang in the event that the Barisan Nasional leadership re-nominates Salang to defend the seat.

But if he wants to contest, he must resign from BN as the coalition will not allow a BN man to contest against another BN man. Both SPDP and PRS are members of the Barisan Nasional.

Judat is determined to unseat Salang who has been the MP for Julau for the past three terms. His reasons are that Salang has not been fair in the distribution of development projects and an outsider who does not understand the aspirations and the hopes of the local people.

Speaking during the Gawai Dayak celebrations at his longhouse, Rumah Ukam Mambang in Nanga Engkamop, Julau, Judat said that the people of Meluan are not against BN, but they do not want Salang to represent them anymore after three-terms.

“Enough is enough. We have appealed to Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to consider our request .

“But if they insist that Salang be the candidate, then I will contest against him,” he declared.

It is understood that he has reprinted his posters announcing that he would be the candidate for the Julau constituency. Some of his posters were on his supporters’ cars when they greeted Najib and Taib who were on their Gawai Dayak visit to the longhouse of SPDP President William Mawan Ukom.

However, it is not certain under which party he will contest. It could be the newly registered Sarawak Workers Party .

“It is obvious that Judat does not care whether any disciplinary action is to be taken against him or not as long as he can contest against Salang.

“Judat is a very brave and often stubborn man too,” said his close aides.

They recalled how Judat who was secretary of Meluan branch of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak resigned from the party in order to contest as independent against the BN-SNAP candidate Geman Anak Itam in the state seat of Meluan in the 2001 state election.

At that time, PBDS being a member of the coalition was not allowed to put a candidate in Meluan.

Contesting as an independent, Judat caused an upset against the BN incumbent when he defeated him by a majority of 2,158 votes.

He secured 4,742 votes as against 2,584 votes obtained by Geman.

Later he was accepted into PBDS, but when the party was deregistered in 2004 Judat joined SPDP.

In the last year’s state election Judat was re-elected as the Meluan assemblyman with a lower majority of 1,642 votes as compared with 2,158 votes the previous election.

He secured 4,615 votes out of 11,487 strong electorate.

For the coming general election, Judat knows his strength is coming from Meluan and is confident he can get some support from Pakan whose incumbent is his party president.