Wong wants direct talk with Dr Sim
KUCHING: United People’s Party ( UPP) president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh wants to communicate face-to-face with Sarawak United People’s Party ( SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian regarding reconciliation of both parties.
Wong, who is Minister of International Trade and ECommerce, opines that both UPP and SUPP must reach a common ground for the overall benefit of the Chinese community and the better interest of Sarawak in general.
“UPP is sincere when we say we want to collaborate with SUPP. We hope to talk face- to- face rather than sending messages through the media,” he said in a press statement yesterday.
He was responding to Dr Sim, who yesterday told reporters that collaboration in terms of sharing of seats did not mean unity.
Wong felt that Dr Sim’s statement had disappointed Chinese community leaders who had played mediators in order to bring both UPP and SUPP together for greater unity with other communities.
“UPP is looking at a bigger picture such as that of defending the interest of Sarawakians and Sarawak’s autonomous rights. It is for the greater good of Sarawak and Malaysia; hence we shall not procrastinate our collaboration.”
He said the party, under his leadership, aimed at uniting the Chinese community, not to mention seeking stronger representation in the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
As such, Wong said he was more than willing to have a roundtable on reconciliation and collaboration matters with SUPP.
He reiterated the importance of talking face-to-face with Dr Sim and that both parties ought to stop going to the press on the matter.
According to Wong, they ( Wong and Dr Sim) met once at the Imperial Hotel here to deliberate the matter and after that they had no direct meeting.
“Also at the meeting were former SUPP president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan and president of Kuching Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and Industry Datuk Wee Kok Tiong.”
Wong added that the so- called negotiations between UPP and SUPP had been conducted by ‘mediators’ since.