KUCHING, Oct 21: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing challenges Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh to lodge a police report against local dailies for publishing fake news on PSB launching its Ngemah branch.
In a statement, Masing who is the Deputy Chief Minister referred to a news article in a local daily dated March 30, 2019, reporting that PSB Ngemah branch launching was attended by PSB vice-president Datuk Tiong Thai King. A backdrop displaying the purpose of the function was caught in the picture accompanying the article.
Masing also made reference to a newspaper article dated April 14, 2019 with the headline “PSB Ngemah appoints Protem Committee”, as well as an article in the said newspaper’s Bahasa Malaysia sister paper titled “Susan dipilih Pengerusi PSB Protem N49 Ngemah” on the same day.
The Infrastructure and Port Development Minister also highlighted that on Jan 20, 2020, there was a news article describing Susan Clement as “Chairperson PSB Ngemah” when she accompanied Wong on a Chinese New Year visit to the Salvation Army Boys Home at Jalan Ban Hock in Kuching.
Masing pointed out that should there be fake news published, PSB should lodge police reports against those carrying fake news.
On Oct 19, about 200 members gathered at a leading hotel in Sibu to tender their resignations as PSB members. The ceremony was witnessed by Masing.
At the function, PSB Ngemah branch members, numbering 1,037 strong, quit the party and pledged their support to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Susan Clement Ingun who claimed to be the pro tem chairperson of the branch said they had grown disillusioned with the party which they joined in 2019.
In response, PSB released a statement denying that it has ever appointed Susan as the pro tem chairperson of its Ngemah branch.
The party also stated that Lembat Atau was never appointed as the pro tem youth chief of Ngemah branch and went even further to claim that PSB has yet to register any branch in Ngemah.
“Susan Clement, Lembat Atau and the 200 persons who allegedly quit PSB Ngemah branch with them were not and have never been PSB members.
“Susan Clement had applied to join PSB but, to this date, she has not been accepted as a member of the party.
“Likewise, Lembat Atau and the so-called 200 ‘PSB members’ have never been accepted as members,” PSB claimed in the press statement.
The party which was formerly called United People’s Party (UPP) thus concluded that it was “amusing” to see Masing attending a function witnessing the quitting of 200 PSB Ngemah members.
“It is therefore very amusing to see the Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Masing attending a function to witness 200 ‘PSB members’ quitting PSB when they were never PSB members in the first place.” — DayakDaily
