SIBU, Sept 30 — The Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) has opened up the party to provide opportunities for the next generation of leaders to lead, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
The SUPP president said by doing so, the party has increased its talent pool of future leaders, and could now ‘move forward with confidence’.
He pointed out that for Sibu, SUPP currently has leaders such as Pelawan assemblyman Datuk Michael Tiang and Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng, Senator Robert Lau, and Kevin Lau who heads the Bawang Assan Community Development Team.
“They are the future successors to lead the party. SUPP must be ready to pave the way for young members so as to ensure its survival, as these positions do not last forever,” he said at SUPP’s 65th anniversary luncheon here yesterday.
Moreover, Dr Sim reminded party members to avoid falling victim to the ‘termite’ mentality as this would only divide the party.
“If there was a quest for power and the ‘termite’ mentality continues throughout the party, it could strongly affect and destroy SUPP’s synergy.
“Instead, practise an attitude of tolerance and remember that the party belongs to each member. Only through such practice can the group stay relevant,” he added.
Dr Sim went on to highlight that SUPP has made great contributions to the development of Sarawak, having been participating in mainstream politics for 50 years.
Citing the Bukit Assek Redevelopment Plan, he said it is a large project involving hundreds of acres of land, and that the project would not succeed without SUPP being part of the state government.
More than 2,000 party members from Opar, Lundu, and Telang Usan attended the luncheon, including SUPP vice president Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin, secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting, and Women’s chief Kho Teck Wan. — The Borneo Post
