PDP to hold first triennial general assembly before August — Nogeh

KU CHIN G: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) is expected to proceed with its first triennial general assembly ( TGA) before August. Its secretary- general, Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Anthony Nogeh said the party could now hold its TGA following the approval by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on its name change.

“We were supposed to have our TGA in March but had to postpone it until we obtained the clearance from ROS. Now that the ROS has approved our resolution to amend the party’s name to PDP, we are planning to have our TGA before August,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

However Nogeh, who is Mas Gading MP, said the date and venue of the TGA were yet to be fixed.

In October last year, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party ( SPDP) amended its name to Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) in order to set up branches in Peninsular Malaysia as a move to support Barisan Nasional (BN) parties in the peninsula.

PDP, however, did not plan to contest seats there but wished to remain as a local Sarawak party.

For the coming TGA, Nogeh said all posts in the party would be open for contest. He said former members of Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak ( Teras) who had been accepted into PDP could also take part in the party election or contest for any post.

Nogeh, however, declined to reveal any name of former Teras members who had been accepted into PDP.

Teras was formed by former SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan in 2013 after he quit the party following internal disputes.

Mawan, however, was fielded to defend his Pakan seat as direct BN candidate in the last state election, which he retained.

Teras was effectively dissolved on May 11 last year. Following the dissolution, Mawan and his supporters subsequently tried to join Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu ( PBB) but their request was turned down.

However, two of his former colleagues from SPDP and Teras – Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau) – were accepted by PBB. Teras was formed to accommodate the breakaway fraction from SPDP and to end the internal leadership crisis.