Dr Sim: Back to school at SUPP political institute next year

KUCHING: SUPP will set up a political institute next year for its leaders and members to ‘go back to school’ and learn to play their roles more effectively.

Party president Prof Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said this matter was resolved at yesterday’s Central Committee (CC) meeting, with the political institute being inspired by the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China.

“We are still working out the framework for the institute. We are also identifying the most suitable person to head this political institute, which shall commence on July 1 next year,” he told reporters after the CC meeting at SUPP headquarters here.

Dr Sim said SUPP was now not just a party for the Chinese but also represented the interest of Bumiputeras, who now constitutes one third of the party’s membership.

He said SUPP now had 109,000 members, of which 35,000 were Bumiputeras.

“I want to emphasise that SUPP is not just a Chinese party,” he said, adding that the party registered 14,000 new members this year.

He also mentioned that yesterday’s CC meeting, and the Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) on Saturday, held a lot of discussions on the party’s preparations for the 14th General Election, which he believed could be held next year.

On a related matter, Dr Sim said the party’s elected representatives had been assigned to follow up on the resolutions from Saturday’s ADC.

Among others, the resolution called on the Sarawak government to establish Sarawakian owned financial institution to stimulate and faciltate Sarawak’s economy and financial markets more efficiently and effectively.

SUPP also called on the state government to establish a Sarawakian airlines to provide better and more frequent domestic and rural flight routes.

The ADC also resolved to fully support the chief minister’s initiatives to reclaim Sarawak’s autonomous powers and to uphold the Federal Constitution as the supreme law of the nation and firmly against the Private Member Bill in the Parliament to amend the Syariah Courts ( Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) by PAS and Amanah, which will ultimately lead to the implementation of the hudud law.

The other resolutions include urging the federal government for equal job opportunities for government jobs to be accorded or given to Sarawakians.

They also urged federal and Sarawak governments to look into providing more low- cost housing schemes for lower and middle income group, and for both governments to formulate policies to reduce inflationary pressures and to increase employment opportunities.

SUPP also fully supports the calls for amendments to the Penal Code and the implementation of new laws to better protect children from sexual abuse.