No talks about inviting any party to join GPS – Masing
KUCHING: There has never been any discussion pertaining to inviting any local-based party to join Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) thus far.
In stating this, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing said inviting any party to join GPS, which currently comprises Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu ( PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak ( PRS), Sarawak United People’s Party ( SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party ( PDP), was never brought up in any of GPS’ meetings.
GPS was formed on June 12 when the four political parties quit Barisan Nasional ( BN) to form an independent state-based coalition following BN’s defeat in the last general election.
Masing, who is PRS president, said any invitation to any party to join the coalition would have to be discussed among the top leadership of the four existing component parties of GPS first.
“If there is any ( application), it will have to be discussed between the chief minister, who is also the GPS chairman, and the leaders of the four component parties.
“Until today, we have not discussed on inviting anybody,” he said when asked if GPS would officially invite United People’s Party ( UPP) to join GPS after GPS received its registration certificate from the Registrar of Societies ( RoS).
Masing, who is also Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation, said he was also not aware if UPP had applied to join GPS, adding that as of yesterday, he had not seen any official letter from UPP applying to join GPS.
He noted that while GPS is not an exclusive club at the moment, the coalition has not received any application from any party apart from the present four components.
Asked if there will be any problem in accepting UPP, he simply replied: “Don’t anticipate the problem. Don’t”.
When asked to comment on the claim by Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen that the party has readied a strategy to challenge GPS in the next state election, Masing said : “All I can say is, I wish him ( Chong) the best. Let the best man win. Let the voters decide on who they want.”