Supp deputy president Law Hieng Ding spoke from his heart at the party's triennial delegates conference (TDC) in Kuching today, telling long-serving party comrades to have the courage to let go of power now before Supp reaches a point of no return.

Addressing delegates of the party which he has been a part of for more than 40 years, Law said it was very clear that senior citizens (including himself) outnumber the young in the top party hierarchy.

law hieng deng“Do we not outnumber the younger leaders that we have? And who are really the second echelon leaders of SUPP?” he asked.

Conceding that he was also to be blamed for the state of affairs in Supp today, Law urged party leaders to use the TDC as the opportunity to examine themselves and their conscience.

He asked: “Is it not true that infighting has taken its toll on SUPP in recent years. Worse, these internal clashes among party leaders and members were widely reported and publicly discussed. No matter who is right and who is wrong, once these problems get into the public domain, the end result would be negative for the party.

“Need it be said that the public do not think much of quarrelsome politicians. Just think how we view the internal strife happening in other parties. Don't we call those politicians silly, power-crazy people? Well, others are saying the same thing about us when we quarrelled openly!"

Bow our heads in shame!

Law said the party has to take stock of the many internal problems besieging it. "We have to honestly ask ourselves whether such problems occurred because we were fighting for the interests of the party and people or was it for our own selfish interests and individualistic egoism."

“If the answer is the latter, then we should bow our heads in shame. As gentlemen, we should! For wasting time squabbling among ourselves, we should! For those whom we had wronged, we should! For failing our party, members and supporters, we should!”, he added.

Speaking at length on the need to allow younger leaders to take over, the former science, technology and environment minister related a joke to capture his audience’s attention.

“Once, the leader of a party asked his most trusted adviser to draw up a rebranding plan for the party. The young adviser did not hesitate to give his boss this immediate reply, "Sir, how can you expect me to rebrand anything in the party when all of you, old and senile leaders still refuse to step down and want to continue in your party positions?"

Law continued: “That may be a joke elsewhere but converting it seriously into our own party situation today, that is all so true.

“Just look around us today. What do we see? Senior citizens in the sixties and seventies are still clinging on to our party positions. Just take a head count and see how many of the key leaders are really senior citizens who should be better off enjoying their twilight years in happy retirement than to continue clinging on to power.

“Hey, we also have people in their sixties still serving as ‘Menteri Muda" when they are already menteri tua or orang tua. Why are we so reluctant to let go?” he asked.

Dare to speak up now

Law also told the delegates to adopt what he termed as ‘New politics.'

He explained: “The 2006 Sarawak election and the 2008 general election struck a blow at old politics, and left us confronted with its legacy. A legacy of the old way that said elections had to be bought; spending could be reckless; there was no need to invest in the future because the present was all that matters.

“That is one legacy which we don't need and must get rid of. In its place, we must acknowledge ourselves and tell the people that money politics is corruption and that vote-buying is a ‘No No'. Tell them that their future and that of their generations to come should not be sold for it has no price,” he stressed.

The deputy president also asked party leaders and members to be more inquisitive and vocal if necessary, in the way the nation is managed.

george chan supp 031106“Supp may not be a dominant party running the country but we are a member of the ruling BN coalition and if things are not right, we must have the courage to say it and help put these right,” he added.

Today could be Law’s final address to the party as deputy president. He has confided to close aides that he has been requested by party president Dr George Chan to serve one more term in order to preserve party unity and stability.

It appears that Chan has the consensus of the party’s central executive committee to maintain the status quo of top leaders in order to avert further split in the already much weakened party.

Then again, one or two racalcitrant and over-ambitious leaders may have other plans.