Batu Lintang incumbent applies to join SUPP after years of political realignment

See (third right) handing over his application form to join SUPP to Chen, witnessed by Dr Sim (right) and Ting (left) at SUPP headquarters on Oct 27, 2026. Photo: SUPP

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Oct 27: Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How has submitted his application to join the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), marking a new chapter in his political journey after serving as an independent representative for more than four years.

According to a brief statement from SUPP, his application form was handed to SUPP Central organising secretary Datuk Matthew Chen today, witnessed by SUPP president Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian and secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew.

See’s application comes after years of political realignments, having served under Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), briefly joined Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and subsequently continued his service as an independent assemblyman.

His move towards SUPP, a component party of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), follows earlier speculation about his possible entry into the party, which had surfaced several times since he left PSB in August 2022.

See was first elected to represent Batu Lintang in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly in 2011 under the PKR banner. He subsequently retained the seat in the 2016 Sarawak election, establishing himself as an opposition representative in the State legislature.

Before his departure from PKR, See served as the party’s Sarawak vice-chairman and was associated with the State opposition movement alongside former Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian.

In April 2020, See was sacked from PKR amid internal party divisions during the political upheaval surrounding the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government.

The following month, he joined PSB alongside Baru, who was then the Ba’Kelalan assemblyman and a former federal works minister. The two joined the party led by Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh after concluding that establishing a new political party would be impractical ahead of the next Sarawak election.

See contested the Batu Lintang seat under the PSB ticket in the December 2021 Sarawak election and won a third consecutive term.

However, in August 2022, he left PSB and became an independent assemblyman, saying he wanted to concentrate on serving his constituents without being constrained by party politics.

His departure left him outside both the ruling GPS coalition and the formal opposition bloc, although he continued to work with the Sarawak government on development programmes and matters affecting Batu Lintang.

The possibility of See joining SUPP subsequently became a recurring subject of political speculation.

In August 2023, reports emerged that he had applied to join the party after a photograph showed him meeting Dr Sim and Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. See denied the reports at the time, maintaining that he was an independent and that the meeting concerned developments in Batu Lintang and Sarawak.

In December 2024, Dr Sim confirmed that SUPP had not received an application from See, while expressing the party’s willingness to continue working with him to ensure his constituents benefited from the State’s development programmes.

See reiterated in Jan 12 this year that he would not join any political party before the dissolution of the current Sarawak Assembly, although he remained open to working with different parties in the interest of his constituents.

His submission of the application today therefore represents a significant development in his political trajectory, potentially bringing his years as an independent to an end.

The move also places the Batu Lintang representative closer to the ruling State coalition ahead of the next Sarawak election, although the political implications will depend on the outcome of his membership application and subsequent developments. — DayakDaily