GPS controversy: Little storm in a teacup — analysts

KUCHING: There has been a little storm in the teacup after a key Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) player made some public statements and suggestions, which must have left Sarawakians and especially the proposers and initiators a little bit concerned.

Some have seen and described the statements as somewhat “controversial”, as akin to throwing cold water on the proposed GPS and thus as throwing a spanner into the works and into the machine.

A political analyst said the issue of the formation of a single multiracial party that was raised by Sarawak deputy chief minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing was a political issue that should be discussed privately by the GPS

University of Malaya senior lecturer Associate Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said it could raise various political interpretations, especially as Masing is a deputy chief minister as well as Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president.

“When Masing issued the statement and later received responses from other parties, especially by the component parties, he and his supporters should see it as a free expression just as he is free to express himself,” he told Bernama.

However, he said when Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who is also the vice-president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) responded, the issue had a snowball effect, receiving various reactions from netizens.

Abdul Karim was reported as saying that the party led by Masing, namely PRS, may leave GPS if they felt that joining the coalition was a burden, while Masing had stated that the establishment of GPS would not be meaningful if it was to be dominated by only one party.

According to Awang Azman, some quarters also saw the issue as racially inclined as both were from different ethnic groups while others also linked it to Umno which was said to have muted the voices of other Barisan National (BN) component parties that led to its downfall in the 14th general election.

“That is the danger when the parties concerned, such as Masing as a deputy chief minister and Karim a state Cabinet minister, don’t use the right channel” he said, adding that ethnic issues were often harped by leaders of developing countries as a powerful political tool despite decades of failing to advance their own people.

Meanwhile another political analyst Datuk Peter Minos told Bernama that the onus was on the key leaders of GPS to raise up the spirit and shore up the mood for the new political entity.

He said what matters most now was to push GPS for registration and get it launched as soon as possible, before things become cold and the mood for it dissipated.

“Easy said than done of course but if GPS was launched as soon as BN was kicked out of Sarawak politics, that would had been best and fine,” said Minos, who is Kota Samarahan Municipal Council chairman and former PBB deputy publicity chief.

“Some people had asked, both out of curiosity and anxiety, what is going on and what is the future for GPS. Will it see the light of day now that a “controversy” is engulfing it?” he said.

Minos was, however, confident that GPS would eventually be registered, adding that it was badly needed in replacement of BN in Sarawak and a GPS state government must be around as soon as possible. - Bernama