KUCHING – The issue is not his age but rather his ‘partyless’ status. So why is Larry Sng, the 30-year-old Pelagus state assemblyman, still retained in the Sarawak Cabinet?

Many have their opinions on the matter. Here is one.

Sng’s “partyless” status and his retention as an assistant minister in the recent Cabinet reshuffle has become a headache for Sarawak United People’s Party, according to a political ally.

“It is no longer Party Rakyat Sarawak’s problem, but a migraine for SUPP,” said Tedewin Ngumbang, a PRS supreme council member and a confidante of PRS president Dr James Masing.

Sng, who once had a promising future in PRS, was sacked from the party on April 1 last year following his failed move to oust Masing as the president of the party. Since then he has become partyless.

No young Chnese minister

Writing in his blog, The Borneo Warrior, Tedewin said that the message was very clear from Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud when he re-appointed Sng as assistant minister. His portfolios include Industrial Development (Planning) and Youth Affairs.

“Sng’s appointment appears to deprive SUPP of at least another post of assistant minister, but in actual fact he is being groomed to be a Chinese leader possibly through SUPP,” said Tedewin.

He quoted Taib as saying that he (Taib) had to retain Sng as there were no young Chinese ministers in his Cabinet.

Tedewin asked: “Is there any young Chinese minister from SUPP in the current Cabinet line-up?

“Therefore the message is crystal clear to SUPP. If the party takes Sng, he will fill that vacuum and hopefully will attract young voters,” he said, pointing out that Taib wanted Sng to make his decision before the next state election that could be held as early as next year or the latest by July 2011.

Assuming that Sng would eventually join SUPP before the election, Tedewin warned that it would be naïve for anyone to even assume Pelagus, Sng’s present seat, would be the perfect choice, if the swapping of seats between Pelagus and Engkilili ever takes place.

“Would the Pelagus voters agree to the swap and accept SUPP as their party? Will there not be a possible political backlash?” asked Tedewin.

First contest at 22

The best seat for Sng, according to Tedewin, would be Meradong, the hometown of his wealthy father-in-law Ting Pek Khiing.

“In Meradong, Larry would be considered a hero, if he is able to wrest the seat for SUPP from the opposition DAP.

“If this concept is unraveled, then there is no need to swap seats between PRS and SUPP. And there is no need to complicate matters,” he said, adding that SUPP and PRS should be more concerned with the challenges posed by Pakatan Rakyat in the coming State election.

Larry first stood for election as a 22-year-old in the 2001 state polls on a BN-PBDS ticket, replacing his father Sng Chee Hua as the Pelagus representative. He was re-elected to the same seat in the 2006 state election, this time representing the newly-formed PRS.

The young man then attempted to grab the presidency from veteran James Masing in the PRS power struggle but failed following the ROS’ recognition of Masing as the lawful president of the party.