GPS more comfortable working with PAS than DAP - Masing
Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will only support but is not going to be part of the new federal government which is said to be formed by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, according to the Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister James Masing.
"We have agreed to be friendly to Pakatan Nasional or whatever name you call it, but we are not part of the administration," James (photo) told Malaysiakini when contacted.
He said the GPS set conditional support for the new ruling coalition to not include the “arrogant” DAP in the administration...
Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will only support but is not going to be part of the new federal government which is said to be formed by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, according to the Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister James Masing.
"We have agreed to be friendly to Pakatan Nasional or whatever name you call it, but we are not part of the administration," James (photo) told Malaysiakini when contacted.
He said the GPS set conditional support for the new ruling coalition to not include the “arrogant” DAP in the administration.
GPS was said to have met with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong together with Azmin Ali's faction in PKR, BN, PAS, Warisan and Bersatu.
However, there was no official announcement on the formation of the new federal government.
GPS is a coalition of four Sarawak native parties - Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).
They have a combined total of 18 MPs.
Yesterday, Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg (below) met the GPS leaders at a hotel in the Kuala Lumpur.
The Star quoted a GPS source as saying the Sarawak state ruling coalition would support Mahathir for the sake of its survival.
When asked about cooperation with PAS, which may join the new federal government, Masing said: "I think we are more comfortable with PAS than with DAP's arrogance."
This is because, he said, the GPS-ruled state government can exercise its immigration autonomy to stop religious extremism from entering Sarawak.
He, however, admitted the state government could not do the same to the arrogant leader in the administration.
"We can control religious (extremism) but we cannot stop administrative arrogance," he said.
Masing, who is also the PRS president, cited Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who said in June 2019 that Sarawak might go bankrupt in three years.
"Isn't that arrogant? To me, this is pure arrogance of a finance minister," said Masing.
Back then, Lim had said Sarawak's reserves of RM30 billion would be exhausted in three years on the state's annual budget of RM11 billion.
PAS is not widely accepted in the Borneo state as it is seen as a political party that harped on radical racial and religious ideology.
In September last year, Johari said the Sarawak state government was prepared to help PAS-controlled states like Terengganu and Kelantan for socioeconomic projects.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang visited Sarawak during the Malaysia Day celebration last year.
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