BN panel meets on Aug 6 to decide SAPP’s fate

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — The Barisan Nasional management committee will meet on Aug 6 to decide the affiliation of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), which has openly said it does not support Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership and would move or support a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister.

The tiny Chinese-dominated Sabah party, which has two MPs, has also yet to reply to a show-cause letter which expires tomorrow, BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor told reporters today.

"We will discuss the matter in the management committee meeting on Aug 6," Tengku Adnan said, adding the BN supreme council will make the final decision on SAPP's membership in the 14-party ruling coalition. The coalition can either give a warning, suspend or sack the party, which also provides a deputy chief minister in Sabah.

BN sent the show-cause letter on June 30 and SAPP acknowledged receipt the day after but Tengku Adnan said there has been no further communication with the party, which has said it will not quit the BN.

SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee gave an eight-point declaration to back its no-confidence vote against Abdullah in a party decision made on June 18. Its two lawmakers anti-climatically failed to turn up in Parliament on June 24 to initiate or support the no-confidence proposal. The party also failed early this month to make its move when the Dewan Rakuat Speaker rejected an opposition motion of no confidence as it did not carry a vote.

The former Sabah chief minister is expected to brief party members and the public about the party's decision later today at the party headquarters in Luyang, Kota Kinabalu. Yong has previously admitted that he met opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Hong Kong to discuss issues but denied any move to cross over to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

Anwar has claimed that MPs from Sabah and Sarawak will join the Pakatan Rakyat to form the federal government by Sept 16 if he can also get into Parliament. He declared last night he was aiming for the Kulim Bandar Baharu seat if an election court calls for a by-election in an election petition decision next month.

The Pakatan Rakyat's three parties won a historic 82 seats in the 222-seat Parliament, denying BN its traditional two-thirds parliamentary majority and also winning control of four more states apart from Kelantan.

-TMI