SUPP Look at yourself in the mirror — Abdul Karim

Posted on June 20, 2011, Monday
KUCHING: SUPP is in dire need of ‘total overhaul’ because leaders like its treasurer Datuk David Teng is still in ‘sleeping mode’.
Chief political secretary to the Chief Minister, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the rejection of the predominantly Chinese party by the Chinese community in the April 16 polls was due to the party’s own doing and had nothing to do with the supposedly flawed policies of the BN as charged by Teng.
“David Teng is still in ‘sleeping mode’ and thus not able to see that the whole problem rest within SUPP which needs ‘total overhaul’. (Their losses have) nothing to do with certain policies of BN,” he said.
Abdul Karim said the former Repok assemblyman should cast aside the ‘denial syndrome’ and start looking into the mirror.
“(David Teng should) do a lot of soul searching in order to get rid of the tendency of heaping blame on others for one’s misery.”
Teng was quoted in a local daily as saying that the Chinese community, which he described as ‘agile, elastic and realistic’, would embrace BN again if the ruling government adapted to changes and reviewed certain policies. He also pointed out that BN “is in a dire need of spring-cleaning”, and every component party of BN was obligated to do it.
“The largest component party in particular should not shun the obligation. After all, the largest party essentially influences the whole Barisan Nasional system,” Teng said.
Abdul Karim said while he agreed that no government was free of weaknesses, the public were matured enough to see through such weaknesses.
“If their rejection of SUPP is purely due to the policies of BN, then how come PBB and the other BN component parties managed to deliver all or almost all their seats?” He said Teng must not underestimate or ridicule voters’ mentality.
“The Chinese community didn’t vote for SUPP in the last election because they see leaders in SUPP, like David (Teng), are unable to lead and be their saviour.
“I hope David could ponder how SUPP has, through the years, split into factions and what roles he had played to unite or divide these factions.”
Abdul Karim said he believed the public got ‘fed up with all the infighting in SUPP and that was why they decided to go for “young, vibrant alternatives” during the 10th state election.