CM says it again: SUPP and UPP must reconcile

KUCHING: Chief Minister and state BN chairman Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg has again expressed his wish to see a reconciliation between Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and United People’s Party (UPP) happening anytime soon.

Speaking at Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) ‘Jasamu Dikenang’ special convention yesterday, Abang Johari said he would like to see the stability and unity existing in PBB extended to other state BN components namely SUPP, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

He, however, said one of those parties was still not united, in obvious reference to SUPP and its splinter party BN-friendly UPP.

He thus hoped that SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian could find a way to get the parties to patch up their differences and be reunited.

“They are still at loggerheads and I am ‘bingung’ (worried). Dr Sim is a heart specialist. I am sure if both hearts are beating right, he will get these parties to be reunited one day,” he said.

It was not the first time Abang Johari had called for both parties to reconcile. He had done so at a Chinese New Year dinner he attended in February, a month after he was appointed the state’s sixth chief minister.

Federation of Chinese Associations Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions had also called on both SUPP and UPP to unite to strengthen Chinese representation in the state government.

There have been concerns among the Chinese community that a Chinese deputy chief minister was not appointed due to ongoing conflict between SUPP and UPP.

SUPP has seven assemblymen while UPP has five.