See Chee How Joins SUPP Ahead of State Polls

KUCHING: Just one day after the dissolution of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN), veteran lawmaker See Chee How ended his four-year stint as an independent by formally applying to join the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) on October 27, 2026.

According to a short press release from SUPP, See submitted his application form to SUPP Central Organizing Secretary Datuk Matthew Chen, witnessed by party President Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian and Secretary-General Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew.

As SUPP is a core component party of the ruling state coalition, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), this strategic move clears the path for See to potentially defend his Batu Lintang seat under the ruling GPS banner in the upcoming 13th Sarawak state election.

See’s political career spans over 35 years, evolving from a grassroots opposition activist into one of Sarawak’s most high-profile independent lawmakers, and now a member of the ruling coalition.

He entered politics more than three decades ago as an aide and sidekick to the late Sim Kwang Yang, a legendary figure in Sarawakian politics who was then the sole opposition Member of Parliament for Kuching.

See later joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and formally contested the Batu Lintang state seat during the 2011 Sarawak state election, winning by a substantial majority of 8,381 votes.

He successfully retained the seat under the PKR banner in 2016 with a 4,385-vote majority, while also serving as PKR Sarawak Vice Chairman under Baru Bian’s leadership.

Following intense internal friction and national structural shifts tied to the “Sheraton Move,” See was sacked from PKR in mid-April 2020.

Seeking a local platform to advocate for Sarawakian rights, he joined Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) alongside Baru Bian and over 20 former PKR branch leaders on May 29, 2020.

In the December 2021 state election, See narrowly defended Batu Lintang on a PSB ticket with 4,420 votes, edging out GPS candidate Sih Hua Tong by just 93 votes.

However, on August 12, 2022, See resigned from PSB to become an independent assemblyman.

Though PSB leadership claimed he had signed pre-election agreements to compensate the party and vacate the seat, the State Assembly Speaker confirmed See had not switched parties but chosen to serve purely as an independent representative.

Throughout his tenure as an independent through early 2026, See maintained a reputation as an eloquent lawmaker who actively participated in state debates, specifically serving on the Consultative Committee advising the DUN on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

He previously noted that anti-hopping laws and state regulations prevented him from joining another coalition prior to the official dissolution of the house.