I’m not any kind of kingmaker or any kind of political machine, … But I do have allies and I do have friends, and I have throughout my career supported my allies and my friends and I will continue to do that.
– Alcee Hastings, US congressman
No doubt about it, GPS has helped install Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia.
And that really pissed off some people (laugh). They were unhappy (and still sulking, I believe) because GPS chose Muhyiddin over them.
Otherwise, it would have been Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who got sworn in on March 1 instead, and so saved those gentlemen their Putrajaya jobs lost following the Cabinet dissolution on Feb 24.
But GPS had driven a hard bargain from the beginning – national interest (as per decreed by the Agong) without losing sight of the ‘Sarawak first’ struggle, meaning the state’s rights as per MA63 – its rights to land, resources, immigration, etc. and a government minus DAP.
“There is a party which claimed that Sarawak will be bankrupt within the next three years. And now the party wants us (GPS) to support it.
“Paloi kitak nyokong orang kedak ya madah kitak mok bankcrupt (It would be foolish for us to support people who claimed that Sarawak would go into bankruptcy),” Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said at the launch of GPS Belaga zone.
“If there is any decision to be made, our leaders in GPS will decide the national interest as number one, and secondly, the rights of Sarawak.
“We don’t want leaders who keep on changing their minds. First to the right, then to the left, then right, then left again. There is no such thing as turning left and right for the people of Sarawak. When we make decisions, we stand by them.”
Why DAP? SUPP’s Robert Lau’s letter to state DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen says it well: “For 22 months you were in the federal government (and as the sole deputy minister from Sarawak), you were constantly attacking GPS and its leaders…Finally and most importantly, what have you done to deliver on your promises to the people of Sarawak? Your promise of 20% oil royalty and 50% income tax collected from Sarawak to be returned to Sarawak? For 22 months have you worked to deliver on these promises?”
Chong should really look back at his 22 months as deputy minister to refresh his memory to see why GPS finds it so very hard to help probe his PH government and save him his job.
At end of the 22 months when PH was struggling to breath like nyawa ikan Chong said: “On the part of DAP Sarawak, we are willing to make concessions and put aside all our differences to work together with GPS in the interest of our nation.”
Coming from Chong, it was as incredulous and preposterous as the story of the rich man who went to the king demanding a beggar, who sat by the back gate, pay for smelling the aroma of good cooking coming from his kitchen.
I would believe Chong if the beggar had indeed taken the aroma off the rich man’s food.
Chong contended that GPS must make a decision to choose between going along with the “kleptocrat and religious bigot coalition of Umno and PAS or preserve the progressive coalition of Pakatan”.
Let’s be clear, ‘kleptocrat’ is PH’s creation just as the marriage of Bersatu, Amanah, PKR and DAP wanted very much to be seen as something progressive.
That marriage has failed because it was never meant to be from the start.
It was all wrong from the beginning – Mahathir with his ketuanan Melayu, DAP with its Malaysianisation and Anwar, the perfect chameleon who merges at will, masuk kandang kambing mengembik, masuk kandang kerbau menguak.
These gentlemen turned Malaysia into a grand circus with its many clowns trying to convince us all is alright in Bolehland.
And so the King put a stop to that on March 1, which was when GPS stole the limelight from all those clowns.
When the euphoria had subsided we finally heard Dr Mahathir ranting: “Anwar is always crazy for the PM’s post. He cannot be the prime minister…”
You can be sure that’s just the tip of the iceberg. GPS did right in not wanting to be drawn into the whirlpool of PH power machination.
Why would GPS take sides when the PH leaders were plotting against each other? PH had shown it was unwilling to work with GPS. In fact, some of its leaders were all out to topple the state government of Sarawak!
Most of all, there was never any choice because DAP was never an option as far as GPS was concerned, which was why Chong’s offer of concessions was rejected outright.
Feel the way you want, GPS has helped make it possible for Malaysia to look forward to a new future with a new government with Muhyiddin at the helm.
