Kong: SUPP desperately trying to rationalise its collaboration with PN
KUCHING: Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) has run out of ideas to justify its collaboration with its fellow Perikatan Nasional (PN) members, said Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen's special assistant Micheal Kong.
Following the statement made by SUPP publicity and information secretary Adam Yii who said that DAP had helped make Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) the political force it is today, Kong said that everyone should bear in mind that it was the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and SUPP who were previously extremely vocal against PAS.
“Many of its leaders had issued statements against PAS president, Abdul Hadi Awang, for his statements which were racially biased and against the foundation of Sarawak.
“However, upon being given a chance to become part of the federal government, GPS did not hesitate and quickly jumped at that opportunity and now PAS is not only strengthened but empowered by GPS to become part of the federal government,” he added in a statement yesterday.
Kong also said that that GPS and its fellow PN component parties were making meek and lame justification when they said that the decision to form Perikatan Nasional ( PN) was made to save Malaysia.
This was because Pakatan Harapan (PH) was doing fine on its own and the administration was stable until a few powerhungry bad apples within the administration schemed a way to steal the government from the people he said.
“GPS' narrative is akin to saying a thief who first stole something yet, later on, returns it should be called a hero for returning the stolen goods. This is something any reasonable person cannot fathom and is beyond any logic,” he said.
Kong said GPS and its component parties should also stop playing around with words by denying that they are part of PN just because it is not a registered coalition.
He pointed out Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was not a registered coalition at that time but PAS is said to be a component party of PR and before the 14th General
Election, and PH was also not a registered coalition but it was still recognised to be one by all parties and the situation surrounding PN is the same.
“If GPS and its component parties have any sense of dignity, it ought to own up to its poor decision and explain to the people why they were willing to steal their mandate as this act is not only cowardly but without any respect,” he said.
Kong stressed that DAP and its fellow Pakatan Harapan parties received the mandate of the people to form the government unlike PN.
Reacting to Yii‘s allegation, Kong explained that many years ago, DAP did join forces with Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and PAS to form a political coalition by the name of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) based on a certain common understanding with the secularism of Malaysia being one of them.
“This was achieved during the time when Tok Guru Nik Aziz was helming PAS and Mohamad Sabu (Mat Sabu) and the more progressive fellow PAS members were also at the helm of PAS at that time. Subsequently, Abdul Hadi Awang and the more extremist group within PAS took over the leadership of PAS and diverted its goal to the Islamisation of Malaysia and DAP is one of the most vocal parties against the idea.
“It was based on its core principles that DAP pulled out of PR and all this was done despite knowing such a move will weaken DAP as an opposition party. Mat Sabu together with the fellow progressive member also left PAS and formed Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah),” he said.
However, through the dissolution of PR, DAP left PAS on its own and seeking for partners to form a coalition.
PAS eventually formed Gagasan Sejahtera (GS) with other parties but the coalition fared badly in the 14th general elections winning only 18 parliamentary seats.