Plan to form new Sarawak political coalition ‘insincere’, says PH man

MIRI: Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak secretary Alan Ling views the plan to form a new political coalition following the exit of four Sarawak political parties from Barisan Nasional (BN) as ‘something insincere’.

Yesterday in Kuching, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg announced that the leaders of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) had made a unanimous decision to leave BN and later, to form a new coalition called Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).

Abang Johari – also PBB president – said the separation from BN would take effect immediately.

He added that the decision was made after much deliberation, reflection and due consideration taking into account the country’s current political developments post the 14th general election (GE14).

The chief minister also said GPS would cooperate and collaborate with the PH-led federal government for national interest, as well as for Sarawak’s rights and interests based on the Federal Constitution.

In this respect Ling, who is also Democratic Action party (DAP) Sarawak secretary, remarked: “I would have thought that they (PBB, SUPP, PRS and PDPD) would sink or swim with BN, but it is proven by their action today that they are insincere and would abandon their partners in times of difficulty or crisis,” he said in a statement yesterday.

In this aspect Ling – a former Piasau assemblyman – said he felt ‘politically disgusted’ in seeing these four parties moving out so quickly after BN lost in GE14.