By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 20: Six Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) branches in Sibu have voiced disappointment over recent remarks by Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Dato Sri Tiong King Sing after linking the Jalan Pahlawan shophouse collapse to Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, who is the Minister in charge of Public Health, Housing and Local Government and SUPP president.
In a joint statement, the Pelawan, Bukit Assek, Bawang Assan, Nangka, Dudong and Sibu Jaya branches said the affected shophouse, built in 2011, fell under the approval of then-Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, now PDP senior vice president.
“If the argument is that the Ministry must answer for decisions made during that period, then consistency requires that responsibility be assessed according to the tenure in which approvals were granted. Accountability, if it is to be meaningful, must not be selective,” they said.
The SUPP branches further questioned whether Tiong had consulted Wong before making his statement, describing the public remarks as politically motivated and potentially misleading.
“To attribute long-standing structural or planning issues to a current office-holder without regard to historical context is a political maneuver. Such a narrative generates friction without contributing to substantive solutions,” they added.
They also highlighted that the incident remains under professional investigation, with engineering, geological and technical assessments ongoing.
“Until expert findings are established, any assertion regarding causation — whether structural failure, soil subsidence, environmental factors or otherwise — remains speculative. Premature conclusions risk misleading the public and complicating objective inquiry,” they stressed.
The branches noted that Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting were on-site after the collapse to coordinate emergency discussions, while official channels were available for accurate updates.
“Should technical findings later indicate factors such as soil instability or environmental conditions, the implications may extend beyond administrative oversight to include insurance liability, compliance standards, maintenance obligations and broader urban planning considerations. These are complex matters that must be determined by professional evidence,” they said.
Instead of political sparring, the SUPP branches stated that the people of Sibu are more concerned about three fundamental questions: the true cause of the incident, the prevention of similar occurrences, and continuous improvement of city infrastructure standards and regulatory oversight.
“We urge all parties to allow the investigative process to proceed without interference. Let evidence speak and professionalism prevail. Above all, let governance rise above politics, especially when public safety is at stake,” they concluded.
Earlier, Tiong had publicly linked Dr Sim to the Jalan Pahlawan shophouse collapse, stating that departments under the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government (MPHLG) ignored repeated calls for dredging and drainage improvements.
He said the collapse was the result of long-term underground erosion caused by poor drainage and criticised the long-term reliance on temporary pumping stations, which remove surface water but fail to address underground water seeping into the soil. – DayakDaily
