Sibu Municipal Council removes controversial signboard from premises

SIBU: After months of acrimonious stand-off with both sides of the divide having said their piece in private and in public on the now confirmed illegal SUPP Dudong branch, what happened yesterday probably kind of brought the curtain down on the episode.

For as long as the Sibu Dudong branch became a controversy, one of its much argued issues was the signboard hung by the entrance of the premises proudly announcing: SUPP Dudong Branch.

Yesterday, the signboard was finally taken down, though not by the members themselves but by the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) came in the morning to have it removed from its perch at a shoplot at Jalan Lanang, here.

It was put there by the group that believed that it had legally formed the branch. Since then the signboard had become a hotly debated issue because according to the rival group, there was no such branch in the first place, hence the signboard was misleading.

The rival group demanded that the signboard be taken down.

But if putting it up was easy, taking it down was a long, long wait, not until after letters and instructions had flown between many interested parties, including a correspondence from the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Coincidentally, last week it was announced that SUPP had found a formula agreeable to rival groups on how the Dudong branch would be formed before the year is out, which should mean that the signboard could be brought down without much of a disagreement.

This, however, is not the case because there are people in the party who are not happy that the signboard had not been left to itself.

“We were instructed by the ROS to help them remove the signboard,” SMC deputy chairman Daniel Ngieng confirmed in a telephone interview with The Borneo Post.

Asked for the time of the removal, Ngieng said it was removed around 7am.

Former assistant publicity secretary of SUPP Sibu branch Wong Ching Yong – who appeared shocked and visibly upset over the incident – and who claimed to represent Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck (who was on travelling), lodged a police report around 3.30pm over the ‘missing signboard’.

The report was signed by Ling Hung King who claimed to be the branch secretary of ‘SUPP Dudong’.

Among others, the report asked the police to find the whereabouts of the signboard.

Police were also urged to investigate the ‘theft’ of the signboard and interview the SMC enforcement unit.

The report also urged the police to search the SMC store where the ‘SUPP Dudong Branch’ signboard might be kept.

Earlier, Wong called a press conference at 9.30am alleging that no notice was served on him prior to the removal of the signboard.

“Normally, according to SMC by-laws, under such circumstances, a notice of between seven and 14 days needs to be given before they can demolish the socalled illegal signboard.

“We were all very surprised and jolted by the move. And this is the darkest day in the history of the 50-year-old party,” he said.

Furthermore, he said under the council by-laws, SMC had the right to deal with guilds and commercial signboards, but not political ones.

Wong went on to say that if ‘SUPP Dudong’ was indeed illegal as alleged by Sibu branch leaders, he was puzzled as to why action was taken during the “early hours of the morning and on a Sunday”.

Citing a similar incident, he pointed out that some two years ago when Umno was rumoured to spread its wings to Sarawak, many villages were seen flying the party flags.

“Now, the weird thing is that the council did not initiate any action. So, why the double standard?” he asked.

To a question, Wong said he was told that the team which removed the signboard comprised a “SMC enforcement unit and a uniformed unit”.

Asked which uniformed unit he was referring to, Wong declined to comment.

He, however, said he was puzzled as to why the council sought the assistance of a uniformed unit, asking: “Is it legal for SMC to engage such a uniformed body?”

He strongly felt the action (removal of signboard) was too drastic, saying that during colonial times, back in the 1950s and 1960s, such action was unheard of.

He said he sincerely hoped that the council would issue a press statement to explain its action, insisting the signboard must be placed back “as this is the wishes of all SUPP members”.