Kota Kinabalu (17 September 2008): SAPP Women Leader, YB Melanie Chia announced she will tender her resignation as Assistant Finance Minister, while SAPP Deputy President, Datuk Liew Teck Chan also announced that he will resign as deputy chairman of Sedco with immediate effect.
Assistant Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah, also announced his resignation as the vice chairman of Penampang District Council.
Supreme Councillor, Benny Quek also resigned as PKR of DUN N.16 Luyang. Mr CK Yong, Mr Wong Su Vui and Chong Yit Sin also resigned from their respective Municipal Councillor posts in Tawau.
Meanwhile, Datuk Raymond Tan, who left the Supreme Council meeting after it ended with singing of the party's song said he will relinquish his post as Deputy Chief Minister and spoke on behalf of Au Kam Wah that Au will resign from SAPP.
The Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) has decided to pull out of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to become an independent party.
The party’s supreme council, which met this afternoon, has opted to be an opposition party but has no plan to join Pakatan Rakyat for now.
"The Sapp supreme council has declared that the party is no longer a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition," party president Yong Teck Lee (centre in photo) at a packed press conference at 4.30pm after the council meeting.
"We will be independent at the moment and provide quality opposition in and outside the parliament, as well as the state assembly, until the time comes when Sapp is ready to be back in the government."
The party has two parliamentarians and four state assemblypersons.
The two MPs are Eric Enchin Majimbun (Sepanggar) and Dr Chua Soon Bui (Tawau), while the state representatives are Tan (Tanjong Papat), assistant state finance minister Melanie Chia (Luyang), Au Kam Wah (Elopura) and Liew Teck Chan (Likas).
"The BN has lost its moral authority to rule. Numerical majority in Parliament means little if the people no longer respect you," he said.
"Perhaps, after 50 years of uninterrupted government, some BN leaders have got it in their heads that they have a divine right to rule," he said.
Yong accused the 14-member coalition of mismanaging the economy, widening ethnic divisions in the multicultural country, and targeting its opponents using draconian internal security laws.
"Sapp hereby proudly dissociates ourselves from these shameful wrongdoings of the BN government," he said.
An upset Sapp deputy president Raymond Tan, who left the party headquarters early, said he would resign as Sabah deputy chief minister and state minister for infrastructure development.
According to Tan, he has yet to decide on whether he would quit the party, but said that Youth chief Au - who did not attend the meeting - has already resigned.
"Of course Pakatan Rakyat is going to take advantage of this and woo Sapp to their side," he said.
Retaliation against party boss?
Richard Yong (left), the right-hand man to party president, also told Malaysiakini that 32 out of the 35 supreme council members were present this afternoon when the decision was made.
He disclosed that Tan and Wong, who is political secretary to Chief Minister Musa Aman, opposed the decision.
Richard said however as far as the party is concerned Frankie Chong, who is state assembly deputy speaker, need not resign his post.
He added that Chia, the state representative for Luyang, had already announced she would resign from her assistant minister post.
Asked if he expected any retaliation against party boss Yong by the BN government, the Sapp secretary-general said: "I don't think so."
However, in his press statement yesterday Anwar mentioned his fear that the government would use the Anti-Corruption Agency against the former Sabah chief minister, who is embroiled in an alleged graft case.
A Kota Kinabalu-based senior journalist told Malaysiakini that BN preferred to let Sapp decide on its future in the ruling coalition instead of expelling the rebel party.
Sapp leaders have argued that the decision to leave BN is necessary for the party’s long-term survival. Should it stay in BN, the party could be wiped out in the next general elections.
But as an independent party working closely with Pakatan, Sapp is in a position to defend its present seats and even increase its haul.
A fresh blow to BN
The Sapp decision today comes as a fresh blow for the beleaguered government at a time when Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is signing up defectors from BN.
Yong said Sapp was not joining Anwar's three-member Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance.
"But we will be in consultation with all parties, Pakatan included, that shares our beliefs and struggles," he said.
Sapp has been an irritant to the coalition since June, when it called for a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and its departure from the coalition was not unexpected.
In the past it has said it would consider joining the opposition, which has actively courted disaffected lawmakers in Malaysia's underdeveloped eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Yong has previously attacked the coalition's record in impoverished Sabah, saying it had been subject to unfair laws and excessive taxes.
Shouts of 'for a better tomorrow'
When asked whether Sapp will return to BN if Abdullah was to quit as prime minister, Yong shot back: "What's the point if the ship is sinking?"
Yong also said he did not expect a split within the party as a result of today’s decision.
"The biggest asset of the party and the motivation in making the decision is the overwhelming support of the people (of Sabah)," the Sapp chief told reporters.
He said that the party’s decision will affect the government posts held by its leaders.
At this juncture, assistant state finance minister Chia cut in and said she would be tendering her resignation soon.
Chong Pit Fah, deputy chairman for the Penampang District Council, and three Sapp councillors in Tawau Municipal Council are expected to follow suit.
The press conference ended with shouts of "For a Better Tomorrow" in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Chinese to thunderous applause from its leaders and members who were there.
Also present at the press conference were the party’s two MPs, Majimbun and Chua.
modified: malaysiakini
17/09/08
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