KUCHING: Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen says Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) only wants to help Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
Chong asserted that PSB’s involvement in elections was only to help ruling coalition GPS win, and he took shots at PSB president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh.
He claimed that Wong had reached an agreement with Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) on the distribution of parliamentary seats despite being in talks with DAP.
The constituencies included DAP incumbent seat Sibu, which Wong had announced he would contest, he said, while Lanang would be for PBK.
“His actions recently therefore exposed his ulterior motive to increase GPS’ chances of winning.
“His action in declaring that he will work with PBK in which one is contesting with each other just defies logic.
“And now he wants to go for parliamentary election. He has always been at state level and now he wants to go for Parliament.
“His intention was never to help the opposition but to help GPS,” Chong told the media after witnessing the disposal of ballot papers and other materials from the last state election by the Election Commission here on Yesterday (Sept 15).
The Stampin MP said PBK and PSB had different political ideologies and objectives – one struggled for independence of Sarawak while the other wanted to stay in Malaysia but to focus on local politics.
“Based on the last state election, their strategy increased the winnability of GPS.
“With such hidden agenda, I think Wong had exposed PSB’s true agenda. Therefore I think it is very difficult for them to cooperate with us now.
“In this situation, we DAP have to go all out (being Peninsular-based) in facing GPS.
“Local-based political parties do not have much impact on national policies and direction. Local opposition parties will only help to increase GPS’ winnability,” Chong added.
Last week, Wong said talks with DAP had reached a dead end as DAP refused to give up any seat.
He said PSB would contest 10 to 12 parliamentary seats, adding that the urban seats would be distributed between PSB and other local parties like PBK.
He pointed out that DAP was going to face all local-based parties in every local seat.
Lanang, for example, he said, they might give to PBK and DAP would be facing them.
“PSB’s newly elected secretary-general Baru Bian may contest the Lawas parliamentary seat in the upcoming general election if he opted against defending his current Selangau seat,” said Wong.
