HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR: The dignitaries pose for a photo call at the SUPP Chinese New Year open house.
KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang said he was not in the position to explain the chief minister’s no-show at the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Chinese New Year open house on Monday.
Jabu represented Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at the open house held at the hall of the party’s headquarters in Jalan Ong Kee Hui.
The open house is held every year in conjunction with the festive season. Traditionally, Taib would grace the event there annually. This year, even former party president Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan was absent.
Taib, in an interview later on, however reasoned that he was too old to go visiting many houses and said he had sent Jabu to represent him at the open house.
Another minister noticed missing from the open house was Deputy Minister of Public Works Datuk Yong Khoon Seng.
But Yong had said he was busy attending to visitors who came as early as 8am to his home in Taman Kenny Hill, and that was why he had to give the SUPP open house a miss.
When interviewed at SUPP headquarters on the absence of Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh and his group as well as other representatives at the open house, president Datuk Seri Peter Chin said most of them were busy at their respective constituencies.
“I think in the past during the previous president’s (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan) era, they also did not come here because they were also having their own open houses in Sibu or elsewhere.
“So I presume this is the situation today. To me, it is okay if they feel that their areas are more important,” Chin said.
On another note, he said the people’s turn-up at the SUPP open house showed their support towards the party which should augur well for SUPP’s potential election candidates in Kuching.
“We hope the support towards the candidates here is getting better.” he said, adding that he was confident that the party would get more support in the coming general election.
However, it was noted that the number of visitors at the open house was smaller compared with previous years.
This year was also the Miri MP’s first year celebrating the Chinese New Year as SUPP president at the party’s open house.
To a question, Chin said the visitors were mostly Bumiputeras as most Chinese were celebrating the festival at home.
“It does not reflect anything,” he stressed, and said as it was the first day of the Lunar New Year those celebrating it had opted to be with their families.
Chin is also Deputy Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water.
Acting Head of State Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nasar and his wife Datin Amar Fatimah Iskandar were among the dignitaries at the open house.
Others included Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah, Family Development, Women and Welfare Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives Deputy Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim and Batang Sadong MP Nancy Shukri.
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