By Karen Bong
KUCHING, March 27: Former Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Kuching Branch chairperson Datuk Lily Yong said she will seriously consider appealing her expulsion from the party for the sake of the branch she has served for decades.
“Although many people from within the party and outside have advised me to appeal, I am thinking whether it is still significant to do so.
“But I must state that I love the party, and therefore I will consider it seriously,” she told DayakDaily when contacted today.
Yong, who has served the party under different leaderships for over 40 years, said she was not surprised by the decision of the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC).
“I am not surprised by the CWC action… I am always prepared,” she said.
However, she declined to elaborate on her next course of action following her dismissal.
Despite the setback, Yong expressed confidence in the resilience of the SUPP Kuching Branch, stressing that its foundation remains strong.
“For Kuching Branch, we move as a team and the foundation has been established. It will not be easily shaken by the challenges ahead. There will not be a major impact, as leaders come and go,” she said.
The development follows the decision by the SUPP CWC to expel Yong and Voong over allegations linked to the Kenyalang Gold Card (KGC). Both were served official notices of their expulsion on March 16 and have 30 days to appeal the decision to the party’s Central Committee, with the deadline falling around April 15 or 16.
SUPP Kuching Branch, currently led by acting chairman Jong Yean Pin and acting secretary Nicholas Wung, has since formed a legal taskforce to review the grounds and evidence behind the expulsions. The taskforce will be jointly led by Jong and Wung, with support from several lawyers within the branch.
The expulsions stem from a complaint dated July 3, 2025, involving alleged irregularities related to the KGC programme, a Sarawak government initiative that provides benefits and discounts to senior citizens.
On July 2, 2025, SUPP Kuching Branch issued a public statement clarifying it would not be held responsible for actions by certain members allegedly involved in improper practices in the application and issuance of the welfare cards, following suspicions of falsification.
The matter was reported to the Welfare Department and party leadership, and was later highlighted by Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak, which subsequently lodged a police report over the alleged misuse of data to apply for and distribute counterfeit or non-compliant cards. — DayakDaily
