Serious cracks have appeared in the 11-year-old Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), which are not only threatening the party itself but also undermining the unity of the state NVB, which will go into the state-level elections in two years.

The continued crisis is worrying BN leaders as SPDP has two factions with one led by SPDP president William Mawan Ikom (left) and the other by deputy president Tiong King Sing.

The cracks appeared soon after Mawan readmitted the “GE” assemblypersons back into the party without consulting Tiong and other party leaders in March this year - and getting wider by the day as the rival factions make moves and counter-moves to take control of the party.

The four “G4" representatives - Peter Nansian (Tasik Biru), Sylvester Entri (Marudi), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau) - were expelled between November 2011 and January 2012 following “gross insubordination”.

Following the readmission of the four, SPDP supreme council members as well as both the Women’ and Youth wings of the party have demanded the president to call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to discuss the issue.

In another twist of events, Mas Gading MP Anthony Nogih exposed a plot allegedly hatched by Mawan and Nansian to gain “absolute” control of the party.

With documentary evidence of secret meetings, he said, SPDP leaders could now expose Mawan’s "carefully woven plot to take absolute control" of SPDP, together with Peter Nansian.

Secret meeting held in KL hotel

Nolhih said: “The stage was initially set with the re-instatement of the sacked G4. Soon after the SPDP supreme council meeting in March 2014, Mawan had a secret meeting with Nansian at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

“It is learnt that the meeting agreed for Mawan to bulldoze the re-instatement of the sacked G4 through the SPDP supreme council for and seek the endorsement of both the Sarawak chief minister and the prime minister.

“It was also learnt that once the sacked G4 are admitted, Mawan will ensure that Nansian becomes deputy president I, Entrie the secretary-general, and that both Rosey and Paulus are made vice-presidents.

“The record of this meeting between Mawan and Nansian, as witnessed by a Raymond Sim, is now widely distributed to party members.”

He said the Kuala Lumpur meeting was brokered by a businessman whose company sub-contracts for Juara Beetuah Sdn Bhd, which is owned by Nansian.

Nogih said Mawan’s plot was to replace the key SPDP supreme council members with the G4.

SPDP deputy president Tiong called for the state BN to carry out a detailed investigation at the grassroots level and assess their feelings over the re-admission of the sacked G4.

For example, in Mas Gading during the GE-13, the BN candidate and supporters were treated like the opposition by the state representative. The BN candidate was even prevented from using public facilities.

“In Baram, we were proven to be back-stabbed. We were questioned by our members why we put so much trust into an elected representative who sweet-talked and made empty promises, nearly causing BN to lose the seat,” said Tiong.

He said the attacks on SPDP as orchestrated by the sacked G4 members were far worse than that from the opposition.

“The members and leaders of SPDP have expressed their discontentment and fury that no disciplinary action has been taken by the state BN over the blatant opposition campaign carried out by the sacked assemblypersons to BN candidates in Mas Gading and in Baram,” Tiong added.