By Lian Cheng
The Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) faces a combination of internal conflicts and external challenges as it heads towards the 13th Sarawak State Election. These issues are not recent developments; rather, they are long-standing grievances that have frequently been swept under the rug to preserve party unity and maintain harmony within the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition of which SUPP is a key component party.
This component party’s internal friction dates back to the 2021 Sarawak Election in the Kuching branch. Instead of selecting a candidate from the Kuching branch which oversees the Padungan seat, Kuching South City Hall (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng was parachuted in. Wee joined SUPP Pending branch before the election prior and was shortly entrusted with the Padungan candidacy. This decision triggered a severe backlash from the Kuching branch.
Tensions culminated. At the eleventh hour on December 13, 2021, just six days before polling day on December 18, the Kuching branch held a press conference to announce the dissolution of its election machinery. While branch members were given the personal freedom to decide whether to assist or vote, the official branch machinery was completely stood down.
Whether that action was responsible for Wee’s defeat in the election, it certainly warranted a review. The numbers told the story: Democratic Action Party (DAP) candidate Chong Chieng Jen won with a majority of 1,198 votes in a four-cornered fight, with Wee garnering 3,488 votes, to be followed by Raymond Thong of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) with 937 votes, and Lina Soo of ASPIRASI with 193 votes.
Fast forward to the upcoming Sarawak Election of 2026, and the question on everyone’s mind is: will Wee be fielded once more as the SUPP candidate for Padungan, or will the party opt exclusively for a candidate from its Kuching branch to avoid a repeat of the friction that sparked widespread discontent?
If SUPP central chooses the latter, the ordeal went through by the Kuching branch was in vain as the 2021 debacle had already bred a sense of distrust toward the party central and jeopardised relations between the branch and party central. To this day, that rift remains unhealed, leaving SUPP central paying a high price for nothing.
Yet as the pending election approaches, history risks repeating itself. With memories of the Kuching branch controversy still fresh in the minds of many SUPP members, a similar flashpoint is brewing. This time, it is surrounding the Batu Lintang branch.
Rumours have been rife that Batu Lintang incumbent See might be fielded as SUPP candidate, bypassing the local branch chief Sih Hua Tong. SUPP President Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian recently affirmed See’s application to the SUPP Pending branch. And See could stand in Batu Lintang, much like the precedent set in Wee’s case should his application be accepted. Although there is no official confirmation of See’s candidacy in Batu Lintang just yet, there is already pushback. A SUPP party grassroots leader when approached said the Batu Lintang issue “is a party crisis bigger than Kuching Branch crisis.” Regardless of the statement’s veracity, one fact remains certain: branch members and leaders expect the SUPP constitution which explicitly states that candidates must be recommended by their respective branches to be respected.
After the disastrous Kuching branch debacle, SUPP Central Working Committee is expected to weigh its options with great care especially when their decision involved only a marginal 93-vote victory of See against Sih in 2021 Sarawak Election, over a potential branch distrust and discontentment towards party central, like Kuching branch.
During the 2021 Sarawak Election, a four-cornered fight unfolded in Batu Lintang where See, then contesting under the Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) banner narrowly defeated Sih by a razor-thin margin of 93 votes. See polled 4,420 votes to Sih’s 4,327, followed by Cherishe Ng of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) with 1,823 votes, and PBK president Voon Lee Shan with 1,570 votes.
Aside from internal friction, SUPP is grappling with the issue of overlapping seat claims involving its GPS coalition partner, the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).
When PSB, led by its president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh was dissolved on March 19, 2024, See who had left the party earlier took to sit as an independent while the remaining state elected representatives namely Wong (Bawang Assan), Baru Bian (Ba’kelalan), and Johnical Rayong Nyipa (Engkilili) joined PDP en bloc on April 6, 2024.
Ba’kelalan is traditionally a seat allocated to PDP (formerly known as the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP) by the Sarawak ruling coalition, meaning it is free from overlapping claims. However, Bawang Assan and Engkilili which historically fell under SUPP’s purview, present a completely different narrative. SUPP clearly intends to reclaim Bawang Assan, with potential candidate Kelvin Lau actively working the ground as the incumbent Wong, who has held the seat since 1991, faces the disadvantage of advanced age at 84. Perhaps that is why recently, Joshua Ting (41) of PDP has been rumoured to be the candidate of Bawang Assan. It would not be wrong to conclude that both SUPP and PDP are adamant in representing the constituency under the GPS banner.
Engkilili presents a case similar to Bawang Assan: traditionally allocated to SUPP, the seat fell to PDP following its incumbent Rayong joining the party. Recent declaration by Dr Sim claiming Engkilili as a SUPP Bumiputera seat, alongside Engkilili branch committee member Dabong Baok’s open proposal for former Lubok Antu MP Jugah Muyang to stand as its candidate, clearly signal SUPP’s intention to claw the seat back.
During the 2021 Sarawak Election, SUPP lost Dudong, a seat it had held continuously since its creation in 1968, to PDP. Given that precedent, it is highly doubtful that SUPP will back down now or willingly surrender either Bawang Assan or Engkilili. On the flip side, it is equally unthinkable for PDP to simply concede, especially with both incumbents sitting comfortably under its banner. This impasse poses a delicate predicament not just for SUPP, but for the broader GPS leadership as both parties hold legitimate arguments for their claims.
How smoothly SUPP resolves the candidacy tangles in Padungan and Batu Lintang, and how effectively it navigates the overlapping seat claims in Bawang Assan and Engkilili, will depend heavily on the political acumen of SUPP president Dr Sim. With the 2026 Sarawak Election fast approaching, the answers will come to light no later than the day of nomination.—DayakDaily
