Sacked SUPP branch chief Lily Yong ponders appeal

2026-03-27 - 12:51

Lily Yong previously served as the state assembly member for Padungan from 2001 to 2006. PETALING JAYA: Lily Yong, the former Kuching head of Sarawak United People’s Party, is considering an appeal against her expulsion from the party after allegations were raised over irregularities in the Kenyalang Gold Card programme. “Although many people from within the party and outside have advised me to appeal, I am thinking whether it is still significant to do so,” Dayak Daily quoted her as saying today. “But I must state that I love the party, and therefore I will consider it seriously,” she said. Yong, who has been with SUPP for over four decades, said she was not surprised by the party’s decision. “I am always prepared,” she said, but would not reveal her next course of action. Yong had confirmed yesterday that she and branch secretary Voong Nam Jin had been served with expulsion letters based on a statement issued in July last year. SUPP said then that the statement could have harmed the party’s credibility and public confidence. Kuching SUPP Youth chief Nicholas Wung said the branch had appointed deputy chairman Jong Yean Pin as acting chairman and himself as acting secretary. Yong previously served as an assemblyman for Padungan from 2001 to 2006. She won the seat in the 2001 state assembly elections by defeating DAP’s Chong Chieng Jen by a 1,033-vote majority but lost in 2006 to PKR’s Dominique Ng by a 1,417-vote majority. Despite her defeat, Yong remained active in politics at both central and branch levels. The Kenyalang card, introduced in 2020, provides those aged 60 and above with free health screenings, discounts on health treatment, and services, such as dining and grooming, and a RM1,800 death benefit. More than 350,000 people were registered card users at the end of 2024.