KOTA SAMARAHAN: There is no pressing need for Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to form a formal charter with Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN).
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief Datuk Idris Buang said the ruling coalition favours being independent rather than being tied down to other political parties.
“GPS doesn’t want to be tied down like it was to the BN government. We want to be independent, which is better.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for GPS to join a formal charter. They can do it in West Malaysia, but not here in the state as we are continuing our struggle to fight for our rights as enshrined in MA63 (Malaysia Agreement 1963),” he said during a key handing over ceremony for “Teratak Impian Pak Samad” at Teratak Pak Samad, Kampung Baru Hilir, here on Saturday.
Idris, who is also Muara Tuang assemblyman, asserted that GPS is the best solution for the state and the coalition should be kept “as independent as possible”.
“When we were under the previous BN government, we had to abide by the ‘orders’ of our BN chairman in Putrajaya who was also the prime minister at the time (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) and we don’t want that. We want to be independent,” he stressed.
He was responding to PN secretary-general Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin who mooted a formal charter spanning PN, BN and GPS to ensure they jointly contest the next general election.
In a statement highlighting the benefits of their informal cooperation since taking over the federal government from Pakatan Harapan (PH) in March, he said his proposal would ensure the continuity of this.
“The coalition could potentially elevate the aspirations and visions pursued by the political parties within it.
“As such, a formal political charter between all three coalitions should be realised urgently,” he said.
