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The picture which appeared on the front page of The Star today, with an accompanying story dubbed the "Sandakan rebellion" suggesting that SAPP faces a split with a rebellon led by party leaders from the east coast town.
Who says we are split? I'm staying put in SAPP....Tan seems to be saying to reporters just before the party's supreme council meeting started yesterday. Looking on are SAPP president Yong Teck Lee (left) and Tawau MP Dr Chua Soon Bui who is supposed to move or support a motion on a vote of no-confidence on the Prime Minister in Parliament next week. (Pix courtesy of mStar)The "Sandakan rebellion", a term used by The Star in its edition today seems to be fizzling out. Despite speculations that party deputy president Raymond Tan may be joining another BN component party (possibly to protect his deputy chief minister post, among other reasons), the lawyer-turned politician said Saturday he was staying put in the party "even if SAPP is sacked from the BN".
More than that, the Tanjung Papat Assemblyman even openly appealed (including on TV) to the Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to get the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to drop its investigations on SAPP president Yong Teck Lee for possible corruption allegedly done while Yong was Sabah Chief Minister a decade ago.
Speaking to reporters at the Kota Kinabalu airport before leaving for Sandakan (where his constituency lies), Tan was emotional, with his voice choking at one stage while he was making the appeal to Pak Lah (the PM's nick name).
However, despite Tan's statement, Malaysian media today carried speculations that Tan and possibly another Sabah State Assmblyman may be joining Gerakan, a Penang-based component party of the BN should SAPP be sacked from the coalition. "The other Assemblyman" referred to is probably the representative for Elopura, Au Kam Wah whose constituency, like Tan's, is also on Sabah's east coast town of Sandakan and thus the term "Sandakan rebellion".
Speaking to reporters today, Gerakan acting president Koh Su Koon said anyone wanting to join his party would be welcomed with open arms. Despite having established a branch in Sabah for more than 10 years, the former Penang ruling party does not have a single YB (People's Representative) in the State Assembly. Gerakan was not chosen to represent the BN in Sabah in the recent election.
If Tan or Au, or both, do end up joining Gerakan (presuming SAPP is sacked from BN), then history will be repeating itself. This would be the second time that the "West Malaysian party" will be benefiting from an internal split of a Sabah Chinese-based party. In 1995, Kong Hong Ming joined Gerakan after failing to unseat then LDP president Chong Kah Kiat; thus maintaining his State Cabinet position, albeit for a short while. In view of his position as a State Minister, Kong (now with opposition PKR) was asked to lead the Sabah Gerakan. The lawyer-cum-engineer later somehow left Gerakan, after losing his Cabinet position.
Meanwhile, Yong Teck Lee today denied a suggestion by Pak Lah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin that he (Yong) was taken in by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's offer as the first East Malaysian to become a Deputy Prime Minister should the opposition form the government.
"I don't dream of becoming Deputy Prime Minister. Perhaps because I was loud in voicing out issues affecting Sabah he (Kahiry) can say anything , talking like an insane man," Yong said.
More than that, the Tanjung Papat Assemblyman even openly appealed (including on TV) to the Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to get the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to drop its investigations on SAPP president Yong Teck Lee for possible corruption allegedly done while Yong was Sabah Chief Minister a decade ago.
Speaking to reporters at the Kota Kinabalu airport before leaving for Sandakan (where his constituency lies), Tan was emotional, with his voice choking at one stage while he was making the appeal to Pak Lah (the PM's nick name).
However, despite Tan's statement, Malaysian media today carried speculations that Tan and possibly another Sabah State Assmblyman may be joining Gerakan, a Penang-based component party of the BN should SAPP be sacked from the coalition. "The other Assemblyman" referred to is probably the representative for Elopura, Au Kam Wah whose constituency, like Tan's, is also on Sabah's east coast town of Sandakan and thus the term "Sandakan rebellion".
Speaking to reporters today, Gerakan acting president Koh Su Koon said anyone wanting to join his party would be welcomed with open arms. Despite having established a branch in Sabah for more than 10 years, the former Penang ruling party does not have a single YB (People's Representative) in the State Assembly. Gerakan was not chosen to represent the BN in Sabah in the recent election.
If Tan or Au, or both, do end up joining Gerakan (presuming SAPP is sacked from BN), then history will be repeating itself. This would be the second time that the "West Malaysian party" will be benefiting from an internal split of a Sabah Chinese-based party. In 1995, Kong Hong Ming joined Gerakan after failing to unseat then LDP president Chong Kah Kiat; thus maintaining his State Cabinet position, albeit for a short while. In view of his position as a State Minister, Kong (now with opposition PKR) was asked to lead the Sabah Gerakan. The lawyer-cum-engineer later somehow left Gerakan, after losing his Cabinet position.
Meanwhile, Yong Teck Lee today denied a suggestion by Pak Lah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin that he (Yong) was taken in by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's offer as the first East Malaysian to become a Deputy Prime Minister should the opposition form the government.
"I don't dream of becoming Deputy Prime Minister. Perhaps because I was loud in voicing out issues affecting Sabah he (Kahiry) can say anything , talking like an insane man," Yong said.
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