Presence and purpose in Sarawak questioned

Borneo Post
Posted on July 23, 2011, Saturday

KUCHING: The Secretary General of Sarawak Barisan Nasional Datuk Stephen Rundi Itom yesterday warned People’s Progressive Party (PPP) that the state BN would not compromise the presence of the party in the state if it jeopardizes the strength and structure of the Sarawak BN.

Rundi, who is also the Secretary General of PBB,the backbone of the Sarawak BN Government, said the presence of the party here will not help the BN as a whole because the party is not even doing well in Semenanjung.

“I dont want to pre-empt their motives but if it jeopardizes the Sarawak BN components’ strength and structure, we will not compromise.

“They are not doing well in Semenanjung … I don’t see what good they can do here either,” he said when contacted yesterday.

The secretary general, who is to-date the highest ranking Sarawak BN leader to comment on the approval given by the Registrar of Society (ROS) to PPP to open up branches in the state, said it would be better form BN as a whole if the party focuses on efforts to strengthen its base in the states in the peninsula before “thinking of spreading its wings to Sarawak.”

Last Friday, PPP issued a statement announcing the approval given by the ROS to establish branches in 13 constituencies in the state – namely Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kawah, Bengoh, Dudong, Sibu, Meradong and four other branches in Bintangor.

The party claims to have a total membership of 40,000 and its goal is to increase the membership by another 60,000 in a year.

PPP would also hold their first big event in Sarawak to date today which is a community outreach programme at Kota Sentosa near here.

It would be officiated by PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas, a former deputy minister.

PBB youth vice chief Pandi Suhaili is the first state leader to spring into action to criticise the decision by Putra Jaya to approve PPP’s application.

He said the decision clearly showed that the national BN leaders have failed to respect to the spirit of brotherhood that existed among all component parties.

He also anticipated the decision would cause a rift between Sarawak and Putra Jaya, if the national BN leaders failed to justify on the action to turn their back on the Sarawak BN by allowing PPP to spread its wings into the state.