Sibu SUPP barely breathing

SIBU: Sibu SUPP branch will continue to strive on in the absence of its former chief Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, who has left to join Teras.

Branch protem committee chairman Chieng Buong Toon said yesterday that he had told members still loyal to the party to forget Soon Koh.

Insisting that the branch was “still very much alive”, Chieng said: “Soon Koh does not like it (SUPP), so let him go.

“Just because of him leaving, we can’t survive? No, we are still very much alive. There is nothing wrong with SUPP.”

Chieng, the branch vice-chairman, was on Wednesday appointed by SUPP Central to take charge of the branch and lead those still loyal to the party.

Chieng said yesterday that the party had entrusted him to set up five branches in Sibu namely, Bukit Assek, Pelawan, Bawang Assan, Nangka and Dudong.

“We will start from zero like what the party did during its formation 35 years ago. “For a start, we will go for Bukit Assek branch first,” he said.

Asked if it was true that the 10,000 members who turned up for a Monday gathering organised by Soon Koh’s group, were leaving the party, Chieng said: “I don’t know about that as we have not received any resignation letter.”

Chieng also said he could not be sure of the number of loyalists either.

Meanwhile, Chieng, councillor Chieng Jin Ek, the branch former secretary Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck and three branch staff went to the branch office at 11am yesterday.

Their purpose was to ensure that the assets of the party were still inside the office.

However, the main entrance was locked. They later called some staff members said to be aligned to Soon Koh to open the gate, but nobody showed up.

Chieng said Soon Koh’s group could take whatever things inside the office that belonged to them but they had no right to things that belonged to the party.

“We will write to Soon Koh and the branch secretaty Datuk Tiong Thai King to open the gate for us to view the assets,” he said.