KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Warisan Sabah’s plan to form the Bornean Alliance is merely a “copycat” of the cooperation between Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), says a political analyst.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) senior lecturer Prof Dr Lee Kuok Tiung said PSB and Warisan were just beginning to explore the potential of forming the Bornean Alliance whereas GPS and GRS have been cooperating in claiming the rights of Sabah and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
He said the GPS-GRS collaboration to fight for the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as well as the interests of their people has even borne fruit.
“But the PSB-Warisan collaboration now (seems to be) politically motivated – that is the main difference,” he said when contacted today.
“Perhaps Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor and his delegation’s courtesy call on Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg before Chinese New Year had triggered PSB and Warisan desire to work together,” he said.
He was commenting on PSB and Warisan’s plan to form the Bornean Alliance in facing the 15th General Election (GE15).
Lee said it would be slightly premature to conclude whether the formation of the Bornean Alliance would gain the support of the people or not.
He said although it forming the Borneo Alliance would be a strategic move to claim the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as enshrined in MA63, which is being done by GPS-GRS now, such cooperation must be carried out based on public interest, especially for Sabahans and Sarawakians, and not just politics.
Lee recalled that Abang Johari had invited Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal when he was still the Sabah Chief Minister to work together to demand the five per cent State Sales Tax (SST) from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS).
“But he (Shafie) had declined. This is strange as it is something that could benefit the people of both states.”
“Perhaps at that time, the Warisan government in Sabah was in line with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government while the GPS government was seen as the opposition (at the federal level),” he said.
