Datuk Sylvester Entri

KUCHING, Nov 25 (Bernama) — Sarawak Progressive Democrative Party (SPDP) vice president and Marudi state assemblyman Datuk Sylvester Entri was sacked from the party for alleged insubordination while the door remained open for four other senior leaders, its president Tan Sri William Mawan said Friday.

He said the four, including senior vice-president and Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian, vice-president and Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, information chief and Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang and another supreme council member and Bekenu assemblyman Rosey Yunus, however, were technically no longer office-bearers.

“Today is the saddest day of my political career, after due process and consultation with the supreme council, with deep regret, I announce that Entri is no longer a member of SPDP, with immediate effect but the seat (Marudi) remains with the party,” Mawan, who is also state Social Development Minister, told reporters after chairing a three-hour supreme council meeting at the party’s headquarters here.

The fate of the five estranged leaders, dubbed the “SPDP Five” was among the agenda discussed besides the party’s preparation for the forthcoming general election, including the role its youth and puteri wings to organise engagement forums for the voters.

The supreme council also decided that Dr Tiki would not be renominated to contest in Mas Gading because he was not the most winnable candidate and, for which, a new list of several winnable ones would be presented to the respective state and federal Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman in due course, he said.

Mawan said Entri and his group had continously distanced themselves from the party by not attending supreme council meetings and made sustained attacks against him, challenging and ridiculing his leadership through one press statement after another.

By publicly declaring that the show cause letter issued by the party’s disciplinary board to him was no longer relevant and by ignoring the party’s constitutional process, he had effectivelty chosen to burn his bridges with the party, he said.

“These acts have created unneccesary tensions and anxiety among our party members and can even threaten the existence of our party,” he said, adding that as a multiracial demoractic party, SPDP was guided by the principles and guidelines prescribed under its constitution, which also governed the conduct of its members.

Asked if he was in a dilemma to take action against Entri, he said : “It was not the unity of the grassroot that compelled me but the time had come (we feel that there is no end to this)…I am not doing it out of personal feelings or personal grudges but a sense of responsibility.”

Describing Entri as “having the quality to be the next party president”, Manwan said the former had also been groomed by him to take over the helm from the current leaders one day.

On the status of Entri’s ministerial position as state Assistant Minister for Water Supply as well as Agriculture (Farmers organisations), he said it was the prerogative of Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is also state BN chairman.

However, the SPDP chief said he would reject outright any move by Entri to join or be accepted by another Sarawak BN component party as it was unprecedented.

Citing the previous case of a former Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) leader Larry Sng, who was also sacked from his party for insubordination, he said the BN had a code of conduct, which meant that a new political party formed within a group would still be considered outside of the coalition.

In the interest of the BN and the upcoming general election, he had considered the sad episode closed and the party, whose immediate agenda was towards a focused and united effort to ensure BN victory, needed to move on, said Mawan.

“In this connection, I like to apologise to our state and federal BN leaders and ask for their patience and understanding and to bear with us,” he added. — BERNAMA

Taib Says Will Comment After Meeting SPDP’s Leaders

KUCHING, Nov 2 (Bernama) — Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said he wanted the meet the top leadership of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) first before making any comments on the crisis that has befallen the party.

“Wait first, I will have to meet SPDP’s leaders on this,” Taib, who is also Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, told reporters after attending the Bintang Kecil 2011 talentime contest at Auditorium P.Ramlee here Friday.

Earlier Friday, SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan had announced that the party’s vice president and Marudi state assemblyman Datuk Sylvester Entri had been sacked for alleged insubordination.

Mawan had also said that the “door still remained open” for four other “rebel” leaders.

However, he said the four, senior vice-president and Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian, vice-president and Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, information chief and Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang and another supreme council member and Bekenu assemblyman Rosey Yunus, were technically no longer office-bearers.