SARAWAK Barisan Nasional’s decision to end its practice of fielding direct BN candidates spells the end for United People’s Party (UPP), say analysts.

They agreed UPP, led by the state’s Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce Wong Soon Koh, had been made to pay for failing to honour a gentleman’s agreement worked out by former chief minister Adenan Satem.

Under the deal, several UPP leaders were fielded as BN direct candidates to defend their seats in the 2016 state election.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak political analyst Jeniri Amir told The Malaysian Insight the decision meant UPP had reached the end of the road.

“They have no choice now. They have to follow the chief minister’s instructions and join SUPP. Direct candidate is a short term solution. Barisan Nasional has to stop using this strategy,” Jeniri said.

Deputy Chief Minister James Masing said direct BN candidates to solve infighting between UPP and SUPP didn’t work in 2016 and “it will not work if the same political characters are at play”.

“Therefore, the chief minister is correct by not using direct BN candidate to solve the political impasse between UPP and SUPP.”

Masing said SUPP should be given all seven seats traditionally allocated it.

“UPP which is not a member BN coalition has no right to contest using BN’s symbol. UPP members who wish to be calon (candidates) should join SUPP to stand on (the) BN ticket.”

The chief minister was given the mandate to mediate the conflict between the two parties which stemmed from a bitter leadership dispute at SUPP’s 2011 party election.

UPP president Wong was then SUPP deputy secretary-general and Sibu branch chief when he ran against former minister of energy, green technology and water Peter Chin, to succeed Dr George Chan who lost his seat in the state election.

The election degenerated into a bitter fight with Wong alleging there were irregularities in the election of several branches.

Wong, who even alleged the election had been rigged to favour Chin, filed a complaint with the Registrar of Societies (Ros).

ROS in 2014, however, found no such irregularities and spared the party from a de-registration.

This led to mass resignations by Wong and his supporters, who included the majority of its Dayak assemblymen. They then formed UPP.

Lee Kuok Tiung, a professor at Universiti Sabah Malaysia, said UPP should have stuck to their end of the 2016 deal which required UPP assemblymen to resign from the party and be partyless if they wanted to defend seats they won on SUPP’s ticket.

If they won, they could either rejoin SUPP or pick any of the state BN parties – Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) or People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – to join.

They never did. Wong is still president, Dr Jerip Susil, the assemblyman for Begoh is still the deputy and the assemblyman for Engkilili Johnicol Rayong is still UPP Youth chief.

Two other UPP assemblymen, Ranum Mina (Opar) and Tiong Thai King (Dudong) sit in the supreme council.

Lee said UPP should have been dissolved like what former Sarawak People’s Democratic Party (SPDP) – PDP before its name change – president William Mawan did to Teras.

The director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, James Chin, has an ominous forecast.

He said if the BN would not field UPP as BN direct candidates, the party could field “fake independents”.

Chin said while Abang Johari did not exactly say UPP must join SUPP to be eligible to be picked as candidates, his decision not field the direct candidates was “similar” to Adenan’s stand where at the end of the day, UPP must join any of the four existing BN parties.

SUPP has again been allocated seven seats to contest in GE14 – Kuching, Stampin, Serian, Sibu, Lanang, Sarikei and Bandar Miri.

In GE13, SUPP lost six of the seven seats retaining only the Dayak-majority of Serian which was held by its deputy president Richard Riot for five terms.

UPP had made requests to the BN to field its candidates in three seats in and around its stronghold of Sibu.

The seats are Bandar Sibu, Lanang and Sarikei. – March 19, 2018.