THE Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) will investigate how its demands for the setting up of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) were leaked to the press before they were presented to the bloc’s leaders.

The leak has caused friction between SUPP and GPS’ dominant component, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which is trying to preserve its Barisan Nasional-era position.

PBB vice-president Abdul Karim Hamzah yesterday told the state’s oldest Chinese-based party that it could leave the bloc “if SUPP feels GPS is not the right platform for its struggle”.

SUPP president Dr Sim Kui Hian, speaking to reporters last night, did not say when the probe will start.

He said he is disappointed by the leak of the so-called “10-point understanding” that SUPP hopes to strike with GPS, comprising former state BN parties, on how to shed their old skin.

Critics have slammed GPS – comprising PBB, SUPP, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party – as being “old wine in a new bottle”.

The four parties withdrew from BN on May 12, mere days after the coalition’s crushing defeat in the 14th general election, to pursue their “Sarawak First” policy.

“I am very disappointed by the leak,” said Sim, who is also state housing and local government minister, after attending the Padawan Municipal Council’s 22nd anniversary gathering in Kota Padawan, 16km from Kuching.

Among SUPP’s demands, drew up at its annual delegates’ conference last weekend, were:

– The chief minister shall be a nominee from any founding member party who commands majority support in the state assembly;

– The three deputy chief ministers should be nominated from the three remaining founding parties;

– Each member party has full rights and powers in deciding and nominating its own candidates for state and parliamentary constituencies allocated to the said party; and,

– No founding member party shall contest in, or hold at any one time, more than 49% of the total number of state seats.

The seat cap clearly has PBB in mind. The party, which holds 45 seats in the 82-seat state assembly, and 16 of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak, has been sensitive to suggestions from GPS partners that the seats be distributed more evenly, taking into account the smaller parties in the bloc.

PRS, the second-largest party in GPS, has 11 state and three parliamentary seats, while SUPP has seven state seats and just one federal seat.

In June, PRS president James Masing said GPS would be no different from BN if the former was dominated by a single party.

His suggestion that the four components disband to form a single multiracial party was opposed by PBB leaders.

Karim had told Masing that PRS could leave the bloc if it was unhappy with GPS’ set-up.

Masing told The Malaysian Insight yesterday that “in GPS, it’s a big no-no to give constructive criticism”.

He reminded Karim and other PBB leaders of a similar situation in Umno, when one of its leaders, in response to Chinese criticism of the party’s leadership, said: “if the Chinese aren’t happy with us, go back to China.”

“Where is Umno now?” said Masing. – August 17, 2018.