Sarawak polls: SWP founder quits party

KUCHING: Larry Sng, the founder of Sarawak Workers Party (SWP), who had said he would stand as a candidate in the state election, has unexpectedly announced his resignation.

"The last five days have been one of the most difficult journeys of my life. It is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation as president of SWP," Sng (pic) posted on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon.

He also wrote that he would "withdraw my candidacy for Bukit Goram".

"All party decisions will now be decided by the secretary-general Munan Laja," Sng added.

SWP deputy information chief Nancy Nais told The Star the party had not received any resignation letter from Sng.

"Technically, he is still president. He announced he would step down. The party election was supposed to be last year but we applied for a postponement until after the state election," Nais said.

She added a date for the party election has not yet been confirmed.

As recent as February, Sng was still building the party, naming himself as Bukit Goram candidate. He had just opened a service centre then.

At that function, he was quoted by a local daily as saying: "In the coming election, I offer myself to contest Bukit Goram. In the 2011 state election, because of political differences with the president of Parti Rakyat Sarawak, Tan Sri James Masing, I was dropped from contesting.

"This time around, I formed SWP to contest and I appeal to all of you to support me in the election."

Sng and Masing were both in PRS until a leadership tussle in 2006.

Masing remains PRS president and his party will field 11 candidates in the 11th Sarawak Election. In terms of elected representatives, PRS is the second largest in Sarawak Barisan Nasional after PBB.