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Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email Kayveas clarifies on PPP's entry into Sarawak. Testing water only….
PPP testing waters in Sarawak
KUCHING: The People’s Progressive Party (PPP), which launched its Sarawak pro tem committee here yesterday, is gauging its support before deciding whether to set up a full-fledged state branch.
Its president Datuk M. Kayveas said this was why the party did not inform the state Barisan Nasional of its intention to enter Sarawak. “I will give the committee some time to see how big they can grow and how much support they can get. “Once we are ready we will inform the state. As of now I did not inform the state but there is no need to make a hoo-ha,” he told reporters after launching the committee. Kayveas was referring to comments made by several state Barisan leaders that they were in the dark about PPP’s intention to spread its wings to Sarawak.
He said PPP would inform the state and federal Barisan of its plans to set up a Sarawak branch if the pro tem committee could get between 5,000 and 10,000 members.So far, it has received 1,200 membership applications in the state, 400 of which have been processed.
On PPP becoming the first peninsula-based Barisan party to enter Sarawak, Kayveas said it should not be an issue since Opposition parties such as DAP, PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat were already in the state.
Meanwhile, in TAIPING, Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali said the PPP would not get more seats for the coming polls. However, Tajol Rosli who is also state Barisan Nasional chairman said the PPP’s request could be entertained in the following general election. “When the next redelineation exercise is carried out, the PPP will be given more seats,” he told reporters after convening a pre-election meeting involving Barisan MPs, state assemblymen and component representatives from northern Perak.
Tajol Rosli also announced that the Barisan leadership had appointed Bukit Gantang MP Datuk Tan Lian Hoe as Barisan chairman for the parliamentary seat of Taiping. However, Tajol Rosli reiterated it did not mean that Kayveas would not be fielded for the Taiping seat.
PPP enters Sarawak
KUCHING: The Peninsular Malaysia-based People's Progressive Party (PPP) unveiled its presence in Sarawak with the establishment of a state protem committee yesterday.
"This is only a soft launch of the protem committee of the party and we don't have any plans for a big launch now. "It is also to see the support, whether it comes from the voters, and how they will accept a peninsula-based party," PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas said.
Later, Kayveas, who is also a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said he was targeting between 5,000 and 10,000 members.
He said it was up to the protem committee and members to make PPP's presence felt.
The PPP's entry into Sarawak was at the urging of members and he added that the protem committee had so far received 1,200 membership applications.
The decision followed the Federal Territory Islamic Council’s admission that Wong’s conversion to Islam from Christianity was not done in accordance with the hukum syarak (Islamic law) and provisions in the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act.
In the council’s two-page letter, its legal unit head Eidey El-Nimeiry Mokhtar said: “We have carried out further investigation in relation to Wong’s conversion to Islam done by one Siti Aishah Ismail and from the investigation and statements recorded, we decided that her conversion was not valid.
