KUCHING: Sarawak DAP needs SUPP to survive and thrive rather than being left with little contention, said co-founder of state DAP Lim Guan Sin.
He opined that only when SUPP remained in the picture could DAP enhance its strength.
“As the DAP, we do not want to see SUPP go down. There is no way we want to lose our old rival, let alone the need to see it stay strong. The stronger our rival is, the better we may grow to become.
“If SUPP is not deregistered, the party certainly is relevant,” he told an audience feedback session during a public forum themed ‘The Relevancy of SUPP’ at a leading hotel here last Sunday.
Lim asserted that SUPP had somewhat been suppressed within the Barisan Nasional despite having been a partner in the coalition since the 70s.
“Why did SUPP end up with where it is today? I know SUPP wants to speak up for the people, but its leaders’ voices are not heard. Even though DAP has won some seats, we remain ineffective for as long as we do not govern.
“It will be of nothing much until we can govern Sarawak like what we are doing in Penang. It took us, the Sarawak DAP 25 years to get to where we are today. Therefore, SUPP must not lose its courage.
“DAP has struggled in Sarawak for 36 years. In spite of this, I never thought of leaving DAP. I thus hope all veteran members of SUPP would hang in there and continue to fight for the better interest of the Chinese community.”
He said the greatest problem of SUPP “is its internal conflicts”.
And he believes Sarawak’s oldest political party could do more if it channelled its energy to rectify unfair policies.
He was quick to add that SUPP ought to stick together to stand up against its ‘big brother’ to recuperate from losses.
Lim even divulged: “My first vote for SUPP went to Tan Sri Stephen Yong and my last vote for SUPP to Lily Yong. I personally find Lily Yong a better leader than Dominique Ng.”
He said every citizen had a right to vote for the candidate he/she preferred regardless of their political affiliation.
In the 2006 state election, Ng, who contested under the ticket of PKR, defeated Yong. Early this year, the Registrar of Societies (ROS) demanded that SUPP’s central leadership explain why the party should not be deregistered.
SUPP is waiting for a reply from the ROS after having responded to the show-cause letter by early February.