QUICK TAKE: Two Chinese-based political parties in Sarawak had staked their claim to be part and parcel of the Adenan team in the run up to the state election.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and United People’s Party (UPP) both claimed that the candidates of their parties are part of Team Adenan and that they are entering the race for the sake of the Chinese community in Sarawak.
An all too familiar sound bite which Sarawakian Chinese probably have had enough of!
UPP president Wong Soon Koh, formerly from SUPP, in an interview with the Media Chinese International team comprising Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pao, China Press and Ming Bao in Hong Kong, also said that he is not ruling out the possibility of UPP merging with SUPP, two years after the formation of UPP.
What merger here? UPP is just a breakaway party from SUPP. Wong set up the party in 2014 after he could not become the president of SUPP and after his failed attempts to get his former party deregistered.
At best, UPP should just disband and its members return to SUPP.
Wong said that the merger is to unite the Chinese community, the second largest ethnic group in Sarawak.
But he was quick to add in the interview that the merger is likely to take place only after the state election.
For the record, UPP and SUPP have not been able to agree on anything despite attempts by Chief Minister Adenan Satem to bring them together as the state election looms.
SUPP president Dr Sim Kui Hian has been adamant that the party’s seats were non-negotiable.
Wong said four state assemblymen in UPP would be defending their seats while the party is eyeing a total of 10 seats.
He confirmed that he would be leading UPP into the elections, saying that he would be irresponsible for not doing so as the party is still young.
While Wong talked about merger, Sim stressed about “returning home” to SUPP.
He pointed out that the party would defend all its traditional seats but would not say whether he would contest a seat himself.
Sim lost in Pending during the 2011 state election.
One thing both men could agree on - Adenan will have the final say on the choice of candidates to be fielded from the two parties.
Well, what else can they do if they want to be in Team Adenan!
So SUPP and UPP have staked their claim to be part of Team Adenan, but it will be the voters who decide whether the parties are worthy of their support.
SUPP suffered a humiliating defeat in 2011 as a single entity. How they will perform when split into two is anyone’s guess?
Right now, they are counting on the “Feel Good” factor of Adenan to win back Chinese support.
Will that be enough? The answer will be revealed when the ballots are counted on election night.-THE ANT DAILY
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