16th September Aftermath 4

SAPP to make crucial decision today The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 - Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is expected to make a crucial decision this afternoon on its position in Barisan Nasional. The Star reports that all indications are that the party chief Datuk Yong Teck Lee will steer his 36-member supreme council meeting, beginning at 2pm, to decide on pulling out of the BN which the party joined in 1994. The report says that if SAPP pulls out to throw its support behind Pakatan Rakyat, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Raymond Tan, the Tanjong Papat assemblyman and Elopura assemblyman Au Kam Wah are expected to resign. Tan, the state Infrastructure Development Minister, is one of the three SAPP deputy presidents while Au, the Sabah Energy Corporation chairman, is the party Youth Chief. While a decision on the pull out appears to be on the cards, several party members cautioned that the meeting might end up with only deciding on sending a letter to Barisan headquarters asking to make a stand on its position as SAPP had not been invited for six recent Barisan meetings in Kuala Lumpur. SAPP has two MPs and four assemblymen in the coalition. The other two SAPP assemblymen are assistant state Finance Minister Melanie Chia (Luyang) and Datuk Liew Teck Chan (Likas).