SUPP Pujut – Solidly Behind President

suppadmin | January 13, 2014

Pujut branch stands behind Party President, Tan Sri Peter Chin and Publicity Chief, Dato’ Sebastian.

Pujut Branch Chairman Andy Chia Chu Fatt (former Pujut YB) held a dialogue with his committee, the Youths and Women section of his branch to explain the recent happenings and letters from Registrar of Society.

SUPP Pujut Branch - standing behind President. — SUPP Pujut Branch – standing behind President.

Chia said despite everyone being upset, he was happy to note that all of them voiced their desire to stand firm behind the present SUPP Central Committee headed by Party President, Tan Sri Peter Chin and Dato’ Sebastian Ting whose branches, Bekenu and Piasau were de-registered.

Explaining why they were in shock that Bekenu and Piasau branches were de-registered, Chia said the matter was too minute as the complaint was all about three names which were in the registration list who had passed away. There were a total of 2,151 members in the Bekenu branch.

In November 2011 during Bekenu’s election, Chia said the three members who passed on did not have any bearing on the registration as Chin was elected in as Chairman of Bekenu branch uncontested.

“There were members who would walk in the party and paid for 10 members the registration fees and one cannot expect the clerk to query on that. Besides, whenever an elderly member passed on, it was rare for the next of kin to inform the party to strike off the name from the registration. Ask any party whether they have deceased people whose names are still in the registration list – they would better be cautious from now on, as this would lead to a branch being de-registered,” said Chia.

He added that there was no breech, any fraud or ill intend involved. “Even if there is, I am surprised that the branch can be de-registered due to a trivial matter,” he said.

The Pujut branch, he said, still recognized Chin as party president and Dato’ Sebastian Ting as publicity chief.

This, he added, was because Article 18(1)(i) & (ii) of the SUPP Party Constitution provides two (2) categories of party delegates which read as follow:
“18. (1) The Delegates’ Conference shall be held once in every 3-year consisting of:-

(i) the existing members of the Central Committee; and

(ii) Delegates duly elected by the Branches. Each Branch shall be entitled to send one delegate for every 250 members or part thereof provided that every Branch shall be entitled to send at least 2 delegates and at most 70 delegates.”

2. Tan Sri Peter Chin Fah Kui and Dato Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew were the members of Central Committee for the office tenure from year 2009-2011. It means both Tan Sri Peter Chin and Dato Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew are automatically 1st category party delegates falling under Article (8)(1)(i) for the TDC meeting held at Dec 2011, which had in turn elected members of Central Committee, members of Central Working Committee and Tan Sri Peter Chin Fah Kui as Party President and Dato Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew as Publicity Secretary.

On Clause 1 (13), it also stated that All members who are members of Dewan Rakyat, Dewan Negara, Dewan Undangan Negeri of which at that material time, Chin was still an MP for Miri.

On Miri (Piasau) branch, Chia said after the State election on April 16, 2011, Party President, Datuk Patinggi Dr. George Chan lost the seat. A group of SUPP (Piasau) members wanted and persuaded Dato’ Sebastian Ting to transfer his membership from Lambir to Piasau.

Ting has been a member since 1986 in Lambir and he filed in the application for transfer on April 25, 2011. The Application for transfer was received by the Headquarters on April 29, 2011 and approved and signed by the Secretary General, then held by Datuk Sim Kheng Hui.

The complaint made was that Ting’s approval was out of time, said Chia. In the Constitution, Rule 4 stated that Membership transfers received and approved by the CWC on or before April 30 or on such other date as directed by the CWC in the year of elections shall be registered in the qualifying Register of Members for the elections of the Branch or sub-branch to which the member is transferred.

Chia pointed out that Ting’s transfer of application was approved on April 30. “Let’s presumed that even if ROS decided that the transfer of Ting was out of time, Ting should be the person to be rejected but not the other committee members who were duly elected on November 20, 2011.

He said if ROS could not agreed, then they must give Piasau branch a chance to hold a fresh election according to the Societies Act 1966. “But looking back at Bekenu and Piasau branches, if there is any breech, it is minor. There is no fraud, no dishonesty or ill intend of any party or member concerned. Compared to the DAP convention in 2013, the affected person involved was 750 members, while in Piasau, it was due to only one person, of which the issue was the transfer of branch while Bekenu was over 3 persons who passed on. And the DAP was never de-registered.”

Whatever it is, Chia said, he urged the Party President and Secretary General to appeal against the decision of ROS on the cancellation of the branches.