With party leaders calling for a no-contest for all top posts in the party, it looks like the December 18-21 party elections of the Chinese-based Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) will be a tame affair.

In the run-up to the party elections for the Youth wing, the only possible excitement within the party is the No 1 post with the recent announcement by the two-term Youth leader Lee Kim Shin saying he is not offering himself for re-election.

The reason Lee gave was that he was well over 45, although the party could waive this age ruling if it is felt that there are no other suitable candidates to take over.

However, there are potential replacements. At least two names are widely mentioned as likely successor to Lee as Youth chief Supp Pending branch Youth head Allan Sim, a Kuching lawyer and a city councillor, and Francis Harden, an assistant minister and son of the late Hollis Tini, a one time Supp stalwart.

More senior post

Supp president Dr George Chan Hon Nam (photo), who is one of Sarawak's two deputy chief ministers, said last week that he preferred the Youth post to be uncontested.

Agreeing with that is the party's secretary-general Sim Kheng Hui, head of Pending branch, who said some form of consensus had been reached and that a contest for the Youth leader's post could be avoided.

He also said that Francis, an Iban from Sri Aman, has been earmarked for "a more senior party post", an indication that he could either be made one of the vice presidents or assistant secretary-general.

Sim's statement seems to pave the way for Allan Sim to become the Youth chief, and that Youth divisions in the central region, namely Sibu and Sarikei, are all behind him.

According to Supp records, the party's Youth leader's post has never been held by a non-Chinese and this, according to some observers, may be a reason why Allan is preferred.

"Besides, Francis is relatively new and it is also felt that as a promising Dayak leader in the party and as a representative of the party in the state cabinet he should hold a more senior party post," the sources added.

Uncertain veeps

Speculation is whether two of the existing vice presidents the member of parliament for Bandar Kuching Song Swee Guan, who is also a former state assembly speaker, and the former state assemblyman for Bengoh,William Tanyuh will be retained in their present posts.

Song told malaysiakini today that he would leave it to the party to decide whether he should continue as vice president.

Recently, his party leader was quoted in a local newspaper as saying that Song seemed to have lost interest, but did not go into details, when asked whether he (Song) would be retained as a candidate in the next parliamentary elections.

Last year, Song gave up the state seat of Padungan after serving it for several terms in favour of the party's former Wanita chief Lily Yong who managed to retain the seat for the party in the face of strong opposition.

Speculation is out of deference for his contributions to the party for so many years and as he is still a serving member of parliament, he will still be made one of the vice presidents.

According to sources, William Tanyuh is likely to be replaced and possibly even made a political secretary, while the party's veep post will go to Francis Harden.

The top party posts, including the president (Dr George Chan), deputy president Law Hieng Ding (photo), Sim Kheng Hui and treasurer David Teng Lung Chi, are all expected to be uncontested.

So are the party's present Wanita head Janet Lau, wife of Sibu member of parliament and Sibu mayor Robert Lau Hoi Chew, and key posts in the Wanita wing are all expected to be retained in their present positions.

Proven record

Traditionally, Supp is a party where only those with proven record for many years can climb the leadership hierarchy although there were some exceptions made in the past. This applies as much to appointments to key posts in the party and ministerial positions.

Supp is the second largest party in the four-member state ruling coalition in terms of the number of state assembly representatives, after Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB).

Supp is also the first political party to be established in Sarawak. Formed in 1959, the party was in the forefront when Sarawak was preparing for independence. Unlike other parties, it has not been embroiled in any party crisis of any serious proportion since.

Despite the inroads made by state and federal opposition parties like the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Supp has so far been able to defend its bastion in Chinese-majority areas in the major towns in Sarawak.

The party has close links to the Chinese community through various Chinese associations, guilds and cultural bodies something which DAP has not been able to penetrate so far with much success.

As such, the party has been able to maintain its close affinity, inspite of some trying times in the early 1970s when its decision to join forces with PBB, then led by the serving chief minister Abdul Rahman Yakub, to form the Sarawak coalition government did not go down very well with a lot of its supporters.

The party has since been able to win back much of the support and is seen largely in an unassailable position in its bastion virtually all Chinese-majority areas apart from its traditional non-Chinese areas.

Most observers all agree that the forthcoming party elections are going to be a mild affair without any serious contests among top posts, as party leaders from grassroots to the top appear to favour a no-contest.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad will officiate at the opening of the party's triennial delegates conference on Dec 20.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini correspondent based in Kuching, Sarawak.