By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 3: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) Youth has called on the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) to publicly disclose the allocation of community leadership posts, saying transparency is essential to address concerns over unequal distribution and alleged interference in the appointment process.
In a statement today, PDP Youth Central Committee deputy chief Yiak Chiong Wei said SUPP’s recent criticisms of PDP president Dato Sri Tiong King Sing were inconsistent with the reality of negotiations within the ruling coalition.
He alleged that SUPP had benefited from quota allocations while presenting itself publicly as aggrieved, describing the party’s stance as politically contradictory.
“If SUPP is truly as innocent and aggrieved as it claims, it should openly disclose the full list of community leaders.
“For Kuching, Pelawan, Miri, Bukit Assek, and Bintulu, how many positions did each party receive? Or has SUPP dominated all of them? Did anyone ‘sapu’ everything? If the numbers are legitimate, there should be no reason for secrecy,” he said.
Yiak also highlighted concerns over cases in which appointments were allegedly overturned despite completing procedural approvals, citing Bintulu as an example.
“Simply because a candidate was deemed unfavourable by SUPP, an appointment could be overturned outright, even after procedures were completed and approved by the relevant committee. Yet in other constituencies, SUPP has taken its full quota, suffered electoral defeat, and failed to deliver meaningful service,” he claimed.
He warned that the perception that holding more quotas equates to better performance was misleading and could lead to the concentration of power at the grassroots level.
“That is why I urge SUPP to stop hiding behind grand rhetoric and victim narratives. It should place all facts on the table and allow the public to judge. There is no need for political theatre. Transparency alone is sufficient,” he added.
Yiak further claimed that selection committees in several areas had been sidelined and reduced to rubber stamps, with decisions allegedly influenced by certain individuals or senior party figures.
He said this had prompted grassroots communities to question the credibility of the current selection system and the sincerity of cooperation within the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition.
He argued that if SUPP insisted appointments were made according to Cabinet-approved quotas, it should substantiate the claim with full disclosure and clear explanations of allocations.
Yiak also criticised what he described as attempts to divert attention through debates over parachute candidates and traditional constituencies, saying voters were more concerned with competence, accountability, and tangible outcomes than labels or origins.
“It is even more ironic that SUPP accuses our party chairman of being a parachute candidate, while deliberately ignoring the fact that Tiong King Sing was born and raised in Dudong, Sibu,” he said.
He stressed that PDP had exercised restraint in the interest of coalition unity, but alleged that SUPP had repeatedly targeted PDP while remaining silent towards other GPS partners.
“PDP has never demanded special privileges. We insist only on fairness, transparency, and respect for institutions,” Yiak said, emphasising that continued cooperation within GPS must be anchored in mutual respect and adherence to established mechanisms, not an alliance hollowed out by dominance and fear.
He reminded SUPP: “If you seek respect, you must first practise self-respect. Respect is earned, not given. Respect Parliament and established mechanisms. If basic respect cannot be upheld, yet compliance is demanded from others, the political logic collapses. When SUPP cannot respond to legitimate grassroots concerns, it shifts blame, further eroding public trust. Only when institutions, partners, and people are respected can cooperation continue, and the alliance move forward with stability and credibility.” — DayakDaily
