Non-partisan approach in fight for rights
‘Friendly’ GPS to work with whoever controls Putrajaya to regain what rightfully belongs to Sarawak
KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will adopt a friendly stance towards the federal government, regardless of which coalition holds power, in its bid to recover the state’s eroded rights.
Petra Jaya MP Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the Sarawak ruling coalition was le with ‘ not much choice’ but to work with any party at federal level that prioritised Sarawak’s rights.
“Our GPS tagline is ‘ Sarawak First’ and we will adhere to its spirit. Whatever policies that are in line with defending our rights, we will support.
“But when our rights are affected in any way, we will be the first to protest against it. We will never fail to put Sarawak first,” he said when closing the Santubong parliamentary-level Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) seminar at Penview Convention Centre (PCC) Demak here yesterday.
He thus called upon Sarawakians to give a strong mandate to GPS in the next state election, to enable the coalition to continue to fight for and defend the rights of Sarawak.
He also cautioned that should Pakatan Harapan ( PH) take over Sarawak in the next state election, which is due in 2021, Sarawakians would risk having their rights further eroded, particularly those over immigration and oil and gas.
“Let us all work closely together and give undivided support to GPS to defend our DUN (State Legislative Assembly). We must protect our DUN and let GPS continue its leadership in Sarawak.
“Give a strong mandate to us, so that we can send a strong message to PH and Parliament, that we will continue to fight for the rights of Sarawakians,” he said.
Fadillha, who is the former federal works minister, also revealed that prior to PH taking over Putrajaya, the Sarawak leadership had held closeddoor negotiations with the thenBarisan Nasional (BN) leadership on the devolution of powers.
“(However), we did not do it openly because we were within BN (at the time),” he said.
On the proposed amendment to Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution to restore the rightful status of Sabah and Sarawak, which represented the first step to more efforts to come, Fadillah stressed that it must be done in a proper manner.
He said there was no way that GPS would allow this very first step to be a misstep, adding that the proposed amendment must include an amendment to Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution, which touches on the definition of ‘The Federation’ as being formed in ‘ pursuant to MA63’.
Meanwhile in a press conference held following the seminar, Santubong MP Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar echoed Fadillah’s view, saying that Sarawak’s struggle was not to fight the PH-led federal government, but is concerned about the return of her rights.
He pointed out that had the term ‘pursuant to MA63’ been included in the proposed amendment Bill, GPS MPs would have likely voted to support it.
Among those who also spoke at the seminar were Assistant Minister of Rural Electricity Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, Demak Laut assemblyman Dr Hazland Abang Hipni and Tanjong Datu assemblywoman Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu.
Some 1,000 people from the three state constituencies under Santubong parliamentary area – namely Tanjong Datu, Demak Laut and Pantai Damai – joined the oneday seminar.
Our GPS tagline is ‘Sarawak First’ and we will adhere to its spirit. Whatever policies that are in line with defending our rights, we will support. Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof