The Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) has a minister, deputy minister and parliamentary secretary in the federal cabinet line-up announced last Saturday by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - but even this has become the subject of internal politicking.

Supporters of Works Ministry parliamentary secretary Yong Khoon Seng have publicly expressed unhappiness that he has not been made a deputy minister although he has served two terms as parliamentary secretary.

Instead, Sibu MP Robert Lau Hoi Chew has been made deputy minister in the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

Yong, a pharmacist by training, is a senior leader of the Chinese-based party which has six MPs following the March 21 parliamentary elections in the state.

Of these, Peter Chin has been promoted to federal minister after (former Science, Technology and Environment Minister) Law Hieng Ding was dropped from the cabinet.

Yong was quoted today in an English-language tabloid Malaysian Today as saying that some of his supporters and party members have conveyed their unhappiness to him over the situation.

"I have received a lot of calls from people expressing dissatisfaction and disappointment over my position in the cabinet. They are not disappointed with Abdullah but with the party leadership," he was quoted as saying.

" I have told them it is okay with me but they said it was very unfair."

Cliques in Supp

Yong belongs to what is dubbed the 'Kuching group', while the 'Sibu group' is led by Wong Soon Koh and the 'Miri group' by party chief George Chan (right). None of the Supp elected representatives from the 'Kuching group' is a state minister.

'I just don't know what to say to them ( his supporters), except to ask them to remain calm. But obviously many of them are not going to keep silent about it," Yong said, adding that some planned to lodge a protest to the party.

He said his supporters are accusing the party leadership of sidelining him and giving Lau priority in the name list submitted to Abdullah.

"I think they are aware that the procedures for such appointments are always based on the list given by the respective parties," he added.

Supp secretary-general Sim Kheng Hui, also from Kuching, said the party had expected the reaction.

Chan, meanwhile, said the party had asked for another ministerial post in the state cabinet, which is expected to be reshuffled within the next three months to fill vacancies.

If the chief minister agrees to the Supp request, the post is expected to go to either assistant minister Sim or publicity chief Alfred Yap Chin Loi.