KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) are already in a coalition – Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) – and they will have each other’s backs, says Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing.
The PRS president was responding today to a suggestion made by Solidarity Anak Sarawak’s Peter John Jaban that SUPP and PRS join forces following Parti Sarawak Bersatu’s move to take in several top PRS members, including Sri Aman MP Datuk Masir Kujat, recently.
Peter argued that SUPP and PRS could fight for better Sarawak rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and give voters a genuine choice over Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), as per news portal Dayak Daily on Monday.
PBB dominates GPS with 46 seats; PRS has 11 while SUPP has seven.
“I would like to remind Peter John that we (SUPP and PRS) are already together in a coalition with GPS. Let all the four component parties (PBB, SUPP, PRS, Progressive Democratic Party) as GPS, stand firm and look after each other’s backs during the 2021 state polls,” said Masing.
Masing reiterated that “back stabbing is a no-no in GPS if we are to be strong and united!”
Peter was also quoted as saying that a SUPP-PRS alliance would provide a good alternative to “this appalling (GPS policy of land development put in place during Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s tenure as PBB head) land policy while still maintaining an independent voice in the fight for restitution of our rights under MA63.”
Masing responded by saying all four component parties had the same stand on native customary rights land issues.
“People who assumed that we differ in our stand are deliberately doing it for their own political agendas, of which I am not interested!”
New Sarawak Tribune also approached SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian for his thoughts but he declined to comment.
Meanwhile, SUPP Central Youth chief Michael Tiang said SUPP aimed to put ‘Sarawak First’ in terms of politics.
“PBB, SUPP, PRS, and PDP are together as GPS as it is the most experienced political alliance…united for Sarawak,” he said.
“There’s no other coalition that can cover Sarawak as a whole except the GPS coalition as GPS is the best political platform to safeguard and to bring a promising future for ‘Anak-Anak Sarawak’.”
