William Mawan

Posts Tagged ‘William Mawan’

We would be happy with at least a status quo, says Mawan

WHAT’S YOUR VIEWS?: Mawan (left) being interviewed by BP reporter. Pix source: Borneo Post

Posted at The Borneo Post, 10th September 2011

KUCHING: SPDP is keeping its fingers crossed that in the impending State Cabinet reshuffle it would be accorded at least the same representation as that prior to the recent 10th state election.

Before the April 16 polls, the party had one full minister and three assistant ministers, but following the defeat of its deputy president Datuk Peter Nyarok Entrie the party is now left with a full minister and two assistant ministers.

SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom is Social Development and Urbanisation Minister while senior vice president Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie is Assistant Minister of Environment and vice president Sylvester Entri Muran Assistant Minister of Public Utilities/Assistant Minister of Land Development.

Nyarok was Assistant Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture (Farmers Organisations and Co-operatives).

Mawan, when met in his office yesterday, said the party was expecting “a status quo, at least”.

“We expect a status quo at least. That is what we should expect, isn’t it?”

Mawan said he had yet to propose any name to fill the vacant slot, but said it could be any of three remaining SPDP elected representatives, namely Wong Judat (Meluan), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Palu @ Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau).

“It can be any of the three like what was once said – three coins in the fountain and it can be any coin that the fountain blessed.”

He said the party could not have bigger expectation than that, and based on the number of vacancies available there should be no problem for the party to be given a status quo, at least. The Cabinet reshuffle is expected to be made sometime this month, but Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had on Thursday said he had not finalised the list yet.

The state election had created a number of vacant slots, due to the lost and non-nomination of several incumbents.

SUPP president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who lost in Piasau, was then Deputy Chief Minister, Minister of Industrial Development, and Minister of Tourism and Heritage.

But shortly after the election, Taib decided to helm the Ministry of Industrial Development while the Tourism and Heritage portfolio was given to Housing and Urban Development Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.

Three assistant ministers were not nominated to defend their seats, namely Larry Sng, Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck, and Datuk Dr Abang Abdul Rauf.

Another Assistant Minister Datuk David Teng contested but lost in Repok. Sng was then holding the posts of Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, Assistant Minister of Industrial Development (Planning), and Assistant Minister of Youth Affairs and Training of Youths; Dr Soon (Assistant Minister of Housing and Urban Development); Datuk Dr Rauf (Assistant Minister of Industrial Development – Promotion and Development of Industrial Estates); and Teng (Assistant Minister of Food Industries).

Posted by James Joshua on September 10th, 2011

SPDP5, let us know when you are free to attend the Supreme Council meeting

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SIBU, June 15(Bernama) — Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) is preparing on how to effectively deal with the opposition’s very aggressive and destructive campaigning style in facing the coming parliamentary election for the state.

“We should be able to convincingly address all issues including the lies, fabrications and accusations against us,” said its president Tan Sri William Mawan.

“I believe not just the SPDP but all the state Barisan Nasional (BN)component parties should work together as a team in this direction as we all are the targets,” he added at a news conference after chairing the party’s supreme council meeting and post-mortem on its performance in the recent state election, here, today.

Mawan said it was this unprecedented destructive way which even attacked established social values and norms, which had contributed to the defeat of its two candidates.

Its deputy president Datuk Peter Nyarok was defeated in Krian by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) newcomer Ali Biju, while its Youth leader Willie Liau suffered defeat at the hands of state PKR chairman Baru Bian in Ba’Kelalan.

He said in Ba’Kelalan, it was also a case of the wrong candidate being fielded, whereas the incumbent Nelson Balang Rining who was not renominated, had established himself and prepared his machinery quite well.

“When Liau was selected, we had very limited time to introduce and promote him among the voters while Baru had been on the ground for quite a while,” he said.

Mawan said a detailed and transparent report on the party’s performance would be submitted soon to the state and federal BN headquarters, and to Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Meanwhile, he said the success of the opposition in winning 15 seats and independent, one, would be shortlived.

“They do not have the answers nor the solutions to the problems or aspirations of the people.

“Solving or meeting these still lies with the BN government, and the people will soon realise this.”

On the conspicuous absence of the so-called gang of five elected representatives of the party at today’s four-hour meeting, Mawan said they had given their reasons for not coming.

“But whatever it is, I am ready to hold another supreme council meeting to suit their convenience,” he said.

The five who were absent were SPDP senior vice-president Datuk Peter Nansian(Tasik Biru assemblyman), Sylvester Entri Muran (Marudi), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu), Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau) and Dr Tiki Lafe (member of parliament for Mas Gading).

On the coming parliamentary election, he said as far as SPDP was concerned, all its four incumbents, namely Datuk Jacob Dungau Sangan (Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister), Jelaing Mersat (Deputy Transport Minister), Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, it would recommend that they be allowed to defend their seats. — BERNAMA

Posted by James Joshua on June 16th, 2011

SPDP Supreme Council to discuss poor party performance

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KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 (Bernama) — The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP)’s Supreme Council meeting on Wednesday in Sibu is expected to focus on the party’s poor performance in the recent state election.

The biggest casualties were party deputy president Datuk Peter Nyarok Entrie who failed to retain the Krian seat and newcomer Willie Liau who lost in Ba’Kelalan.

The two defeats are expected to be the hot topic at the election post-mortem. Nyarok was defeated by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Ali Biju and Liau by state PKR chief Baru Bian.

However, SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom declined to divulge more details on the issues that the party leadership will be addressing at the Wednesday meeting.

“We expect the meeting to be long. That’s all I can say at the moment,” he told Bernama when contacted.

Mawan, who is also state Social Development and Urbanisation Minister, said the party welcomed all feedback, especially on matters related to the party’s dismal performance in the state polls, and hoped that all its elected representatives would attend the meeting.

Recently, Mawan was reported by local newspapers as saying that one of the reasons why SPDP lost the Krian and Ba Kelalan state constituencies was the new strategies and campaign culture brought by the opposition.

He said the party had some preliminary findings about the losses and hoped for a comprehensive post-mortem at the supreme council meeting.

He described SPDP’s loss in Krian as unexpected and did not rule out Liau’s defeat in Ba Kelalan to be due to the last-minute change in the Barisan Nasional’s choice of candidate which might have confused and upset the voters.

“Furthermore, there was not enough time to promote the new candidate when people were already warming up to the former one (SPDP secretary-general Datuk Nelson Balang Rining) with all their election machinery ready. This was a miscalculation, resulting in the destabilisation of the BN support base.

“Willie (Liau) was new and there was not enough time for people to warm up to him whereas Nelson had never lost,” he was quoted as saying.

At the meeting, the party leadership is also expected to touch on the recent statement made by five party leaders who were wondering about “Mawan’s continued silence” on the April 16 state election results.

The five SPDP elected representatives are Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie, Marudi assemblyman Sylvester Entrie Muran, Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Ngumbang, Bekenu assemblyman Rosey Yunus and Member of
Parliament for Mas Gading Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe.

They were famously known as the “SPDP 5″ after they protested a decision made by the president at the party’s last triennial general assembly. Both camps patched up before the recent state election.

The group had met in Kuching on May 25 to review the party’s performance in the election before coming out with a strongly-worded statement on the party’s top leadership.

However, it’s not immediately known if all the five leaders will attend the supreme council meeting.

Party information chief Paul Igai when contacted said so far only Nansian, who is also SPDP senior vice-president and state Assistant Minister for Environment, and Entri, who is also Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Water Supply), had stated that they would be unable to attend the meeting.

“Both will be away in Brazil as part of the state government’s delegation to the International Hydropower Association (IHA) World Congress on Advancing Sustainable Hydropower from June 14 to 18,” he said. — BERNAMA

Posted by James Joshua on June 14th, 2011