Wong 'flip-flop' Judat does drama again

Another Wong flip flop

by Geryl Ogilvy Ruekeith and Jonathan Chia, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on August 8, 2012, Wednesday

KUCHING: In an unexpected turn of events, Meluan assemblyman Wong Judat tried to submit his resignation letter to Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) yesterday, barely a week after stating that he was still 100 per cent with the party and Barisan Nasional (BN).

The SPDP vice-president arrived at the party headquarters in Jalan Badruddin here at 2.10pm to submit the letter and was met by SPDP acting executive secretary Sallih Bitin who refused to accept the letter as secretary general Datuk Nelson Balang Rining was not in the office.

Sallih advised Wong to hand in his resignation to either Balang, deputy secretary general Paul Igai, president Tan Sri William Mawan or deputy president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

Wong then requested the office to arrange for an appointment to meet Mawan.

Accompanied by his son Nelson and close aides, Meringai Angoi, Nyingkok Bungap and Tambi Luat from Julau, he waited for around 20 minutes before leaving the SPDP headquarters.

Wong announced his decision to quit SPDP to join SWP so that he could contest in Julau in the upcoming general election during a Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) ‘Pentas Rakyat’ function in Kanowit on July 21.

He said he would meet Mawan, Tiong and BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor on July 30 to explain to them why he wanted to quit SPDP on July 31.

However, after that meeting he went back on his words and declared that he would remain in SPDP.

When asked about his change of heart despite affirming that he was not going through with his decision to quit following a meeting with Tiong in Kuala Lumpur on July 30 Wong said: “It shouldn’t come as a surprise since I have stated my intention to resign from the party for quite some time. It has nothing to do with BN. This is just between me and Salang.”

Wong has been embroiled in a long running feud with Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) MP Datuk Joseph Salang who is also Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister and is bent on taking on the incumbent Julau MP in the coming election.

Wong’s resignation would pave the way for him to join the SWP and contest against Salang if he was nominated to defend his seat.

When asked if Mawan was aware on his decision to quit, Wong said he hoped to meet up with the president before he headed back to Julau.

On whether he had applied to join SWP, he told the press to ask the party’s president Larry Sng on that matter.

Meanwhile, Sng when met at The Borneo Post office here yesterday, refused to comment whether Wong had applied to join SWP.

He said the party would wait for the appropriate time to make a statement on Wong’s situation.

“I have no comment. I will make an appropriate comment at the right time,” said Sng while explaining that all party matters must be decided by the supreme council.

Sng added that he would soon call for a supreme council meeting but declined to divulge the agenda of the meeting.

Meanwhile, reacting to Wong’s antics Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah challenged the Meluan assemblyman to resign as the people’s representative as he had betrayed the trust of the people who voted for him as a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate.

Abdul Karim, who is also Assistant Minister of Youth Development, described Wong as a confused person who did not have a sense of belonging to BN.

“He only cares for himself and is very selfish in his way of thinking. Leaders like him don’t last long. If he really wanted to quit, all I can only say ‘good riddance’. We don’t need characters like that in BN,” he said when asked to comment on Wong’s latest move to quit SPDP yesterday.

Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing when contacted apparently could not believe the news saying he would only comment when there is a ‘black and white’ document on it.