SUPP-It is going to be a vigorous party

Dr Chan: SUPP is gaining strength

(http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=66753)
KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan said Sunday night that he now felt a greater sense of confidence for the party following the admission of 5,000 new members.

This, according to him, proves that the 51-year-old party is still a strong entity despite recent setbacks and increasing political challenges.

He said the 5,000 new members, including 1,500 in Kuching, signed up with SUPP, a Barisan Nasional (BN) component, in the following two years after the 2008 general election.

“Tell me, is this a party that is dying? No way. It is going to be a vigorous party. All talks of us being ‘weak here, weak there’ are just propaganda (against us).

“We will let other people know the strength of SUPP today. SUPP is still indeed strong, and whoever comes (in our way), we will fight,” he said at the welcoming ceremony for the 1,500 new members at the party’s headquarters here.

According to Dr Chan, the trials and tribulations during the 51 years of existence have taught SUPP ‘one way or another’ on survival.

As such, he viewed the admission of many new members as injecting new blood and ideas so that SUPP could eventually be given a stronger representation in the state government.

In a feint reference to the peninsula-based opposition parties, he called on party members to unite and work as a team to fend off the ‘outsiders’.

“I love Sarawak, I don’t like outsiders to come and ‘kacau’ (disturb) us…Where did the 1Malaysia spirit come from? It is here in Sarawak.

“We don’t want people to come and propagate hate for us to hate each other,” he stressed.

On another matter, Dr Chan, who is a deputy chief minister, said he was furious with all sorts of allegations hurled by the opposition against the state government.

Among the accusations, he said, were the state government was ‘lauya’ (bad) while the state city capital was pale in comparison with other cities in the region.

“The Samajaya industrial estate in Kuching has attracted a lot of investors…We have also universities being set up here.

“As far as the state is concerned, it has the best foreign direct investments (RM19.35 billion)… If we are ‘lauya’, do you think we can achieve this? This is proof that we have good government, don’t let the opposition fool you,” he said.

SUPP secretary general Senator Datuk Sim Kheng Hui and Youth chief Sih Hua Tong, the organising chairman for Sunday night’s event, also spoke.

Sim said the party since its inception in 1959 had always been a multi-racial party although the majority of the members were Chinese.

“We also have many Bumiputera leaders among us. And we work together to help all races in the spirit of 1Malaysia,” he added.

Sih, on the other hand, said the admission of many new members also proved the opposition was wrong in claiming that nobody wanted to join SUPP.

Six new members were also selected to speak at the event.

All the new members also pledged their loyalty before they were presented with party badges.
(sumber:borneopost)