Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) deputy secretary-general Wong Soon Koh or his party can be accused of breaking the law if they cannot provide evidence to show that they have legally employed over 100 Ibans as workers during the recent state elections, Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen suggested today.

sibu by election 070510 wong soon koh Chong challenged Soon Koh ( left ) or SUPP to produce receipts as evidence that these Ibans were covered by the Social Security Organisation (Socso) scheme and registered with the Employees Provident Funds (EPF).

He said neither Soon Koh nor SUPP are above the laws.

“They are obliged to cover their workers under the Socso scheme and make EPF contributions,” he said at a press conference in Kuching yesterday.

“Since Soon Koh said they were party workers and they had gone to collect their wages last Monday, then I would like him to produce proof,” he said.

Chong Chieng Jen speaking to reporters in Kuching Chong ( right ), who was recently re-elected as Kota Sentosa state assemblyperson, said under the Socso Act and EPF Act, an employer is required to give Socso coverage for their workers and contribute to their EPF even if they work for a day or a week.

“Soon Koh or SUPP said they employed the Ibans, therefore they must cover them under Socso and contribute to their EPF.

“So, I challenge Soon Koh to produce receipt payments for these workers and their EPF contributions. If not, I urge Socso and EPF to go after Wong,” he said.

He said a lot of employers were fined or penalised as they were unaware that they had to cover their workers under Socso or contribute to their EPF.

“They learnt the hard way about their obligations by paying fines to Socso and EPF,” he said.

NONE At a press conference in Sibu on Wednesday, Soon Koh claimed that the Ibans were working for SUPP in the recent state election, and that they had gone to collect their wages at the Sibu party headquarters last Monday.

He criticised the opposition for suggesting that the Ibans had come to collect the remainder RM400 each as the balance of RM500 promised to them if they voted for him in Bawang Assan constituency in the April 16 state polls.

Ho Leng files report with MACC

Meanwhile, state DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng has filed a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Sibu in connection with an allegation of vote-buying in Bawang Assan during the recent state election.

anwar ibrahim function in miri - wong ho leng speaking Ho Leng ( right ), who was accompanied by three other individuals, came out from the MACC office about an hour fter his meeting with one of the MACC officers.

He, however, declined to reveal what had transpired between him and the MACC officer.

On the same subject, Sibu SUPP Bumiputra Unit chief Andrew Shilling denied that the Ibans were receiving bribes to vote for Soon Koh in Bawang Assan.

He claimed that he was shocked by the allegation. According to him, the Ibans came at his invitation to attend a meeting.

“They consisted of six longhouse headmen from Bawang Assan, along with two of their respective members of their village security and development committee,” he said.

He admitted that there were people loitering around the vicinity of the Sibu SUPP headquarters, but claimed that he did not know them.