By Nathaniel Yu & Arianna Arissa
THE upcoming 15th general election (GE15) will be the first time Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) comprising four component parties, namely, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) contesting under its logo.
The state ruling coalition won a huge victory in the last 12th state election, and there is no doubt that it will also perform well in the coming election.
One thing is for sure: when GPS has all 31 seats, Sarawak will have a larger and louder voice in Parliament. This means Sarawak will be able to fight for itself.
In its manifesto, GPS will continue with the same emphasis — Sarawak First — just as it did in the previous state election.
The following is what Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who is also the GPS chairman, shared regarding GPS’s expected performance in the upcoming general election.
How is GPS’s preparation for the upcoming 15th general election?
Abang Johari: GPS has a common platform for the general election, and we will contest as a local party for the first time.
In the past, we were a component of Barisan Nasional (BN), and we contested under its logo. This time, we will contest under the GPS logo.
And as our state election was just a while back — not even a year has passed – our machinery is still intact, and we have the experience to face the general election. In a nutshell, we are ready.
What is your expectation of GPS’s performance?
Abang Johari: We are contesting all 31 seats. Our target is to win all of them. If not, we want to get most of them.
If we look at the last state election, we won 76 out of 82 seats, so we can win big in this coming general election.
With the target of sweeping 31 seats, how confident are you that GPS will be able to win all?
Abang Johari: This is based on the sentiment of putting ‘Sarawak First’. We want a larger voice in Parliament to express what we want, especially focusing on development to be on par with the rest of the country. And that also explains our focus on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Why is it crucial for Sarawakian voters to support GPS?
Abang Johari: In the democratic process we want as many voices from Sarawak in the Parliament that has 222 seats. Sarawak has 31 seats, and Sabah has 25. From Sarawak’s point of view, we must present a huge, clear voice at the federal level.
For that reason, the voters should look from the same point of view so that we can continue to restore our rights contained in the MA63 and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report, and at the same time continue the development of the country.
This is because we are in the Federation of Malaysia which was formed by the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak. So, this is the emphasis that should be taken into account by our voters.
We just want fairness and that takes into account the rights as enshrined in our constitution. And Malaysia will be a strong country if the components of the federation are strong.
For instance, if Sarawak has a good economy and structure, it will strengthen the whole country. The same goes for Sabah. What we need is a very strong nation consisting of strong components. That is why Sarawak voters should take into account the long-term development of the state.
What are the valuable lessons learned during the 22 months under Pakatan Harapan-led federal government?
Abang Johari: PH’s manifesto at that time was made up of many sweet promises. Number one was about revenue distribution. It promised that the country’s revenue will be distributed between Sarawak and the Federation on a ratio of 40 per cent.
Secondly, it was promised that 20 per cent of the oil revenue would be distributed to Sarawak but was never implemented.
Number three: it was promised that certain autonomies will be given to Sarawak and Sarawak would have more development. That was the manifesto.
What happened was many of our projects got cancelled, including the bridges that were already approved by the previous federal government. I am speaking of the Batang Lupar and Rambungan bridges.
Even the development of schools was cancelled and Sarawak was even asked to repay its debt to the federal government.
It is the responsibility of the federal government to help and give loans to the states and the states will repay according to the schedules.
If we recall, Sarawak has paid ‘on the dot’’ since the previous government until today. So, since education and having good infrastructure and facilities are very important, I told PH that we would pay RM1 billion.
Even after it was already given, the implementation of projects was still slow. In the end, they said their manifesto was not a Bible, meaning the promises could not be abided by.
This is the uncertain situation during the 22 months under PH until we came up with our approach and model. And what you can see is the development that we have carried out including the bridges, plus the water and electricity supplies. In these, we continue to use our funds.
Alhamdulillah, I see that in the last five years, we have had a strong financial position even though many projects were cancelled by the PH federal government.
But this does not mean we will stop asking for help, because it is the responsibility of the federal government to help the states.
But I take it as a lesson. If we have a strong Sarawak and a strong state government as it is today, at least Putrajaya will hear our requests. Thus having a strong mandate from the people is very important.
During the GE14, Malaya-based issues influenced voters in Sarawak. Do you think this will be the case in the GE15?
Abang Johari: No. We know now that this is the first time in my life there is uncertainty in a general election. This time there are many coalitions.
I see that it is quite competitive in Semenanjung. Thank God, in Sarawak, we do have the opposition but our situation is clear and this is also the first time that the ‘watikah’ (appointment letter of candidates) is issued by Sarawak. This is something different.
In the past, we used to wait for BN in Kuala Lumpur, but this time, we are issuing it ourselves. And we pray for the best for Sarawak.
Can you share what the focus of GPS’s manifesto for the GE15 is?
Abang Johari: Our manifesto has the same emphasis, that is, Sarawak First, used during the previous state election. We want to continue pursuing matters enshrined in the MA63 and IGC Report. And we want to manage the state based on the new economy focusing on our strengths.
Of course, there must be continuous close cooperation between the federal and state governments, which is why we have had great success through the caretaker Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. We have amended the Federal Constitution (FC) which, among other things, reverted to the previous agreement that Malaysia is a combination of three regions under Article 1 (2).
In addition to that, most importantly, is the amendment to Article 160 of the Federal Constitution together with the agreement mentioned in the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 and MA63 including the IGC. This becomes part of the basis of the Federal Constitution and must be fulfilled by what is bound in MA63. As such, we have a core foundation based on the MA63.
There have been talks that GPS will field several new faces. Could you elaborate on this further and touch on the criteria for the selection of GPS candidates?
Abang Johari: We will see approximately 10 to 14 new candidates in this GE.
Speaking for PBB, in every past general election, we fielded new and young faces. Last year we introduced new faces in Tanjung Manis and Sibuti. In this general election, we will introduce a young but experienced woman and the next generation of leaders from the Youth wing – so PBB will have three new faces.
As for the component parties, they will also introduce young faces. PRS has new faces because they lost some seats in the previous general election. PDP will do the same. SUPP will feature three or so new faces while the Serian incumbent will remain.
One or two assemblymen will also shift to parliamentary seats for the first time.
What would be your advice for the candidates, especially the new ones?
Abang Johari: My advice for them is to continue serving the people and be people-centric. Be devoted and loyal to Sarawak. They must also consider the wishes of the people which are the basis of implementing policies that will benefit all Sarawakians.
What are GPS’s strategies for attracting young voters to vote?
Abang Johari: I believe that young voters, especially those below the age of 30, will follow their sentiments while the other age groups are mature and more rational in their decision. This is why we must look at our policies and the impacts on this group.
In the democratic process, of course, we want as many people as possible to vote. I urge all Sarawakians to vote on Nov 19 as their votes matter. Give great support and voice to GPS for the future of Sarawak.
There are 120 initiatives introduced under your leadership. How will these change the future of the young generation?
Abang Johari: I have great hopes that our future will be bright given that Sarawak is blessed with vast natural resources. Every country around the world is looking for natural resources to use as green energy.
I recently returned from Singapore where I spoke about green energy to a crowd of 10,000 experts. After my session, many approached me and Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan to ask more questions. We were told that we are fortunate because we are very advanced in our approach to green energy. This means we are on the right track.
We are gearing up for sustainable green energy because the future will rely on this including the banking industries which will look at approving assistance based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. We have the ecosystem so investments will come in. This will increase our gross domestic product (GDP) and provide job opportunities. The young will reap the benefits.
In the upcoming State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, I will introduce our proposed sovereign fund. In 20 years, this sovereign fund will increase and give returns to Sarawak.
It will have an impact on the economy in the future which will help the young. The sovereign fund will also be an endowment fund allowing us to assist the young in terms of university education.
With the various initiatives for our new economy such as Sarawak Petrochemical Hub and Sarawak Metro, we are seeing more Sarawakian talents returning to work in the state. Job opportunities with high pay will surely attract the young to contribute to the state.
How do you get Sarawakians to understand these initiatives?
Abang Johari: It will take time to raise awareness. For instance, when I introduced the digital economy policy in 2017, many people were sceptical.
However, when we were hit by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, everyone came to realise and understand the importance of digital devices as well as online platforms such as SarawakPay (SPay Global), GrabFood and MySejahtera. Our counterparts in Semenanjung complimented us on how we have a good system for tracing the movement of people.
This was the moment when people realised the importance of the digital economy. I believe that such will be the case with the initiatives that I want to implement in the run-up to the year 2030. Over time, people will understand what we are doing.
What advice would you give to encourage voters to fulfill their obligation this GE15?
I would like to urge all Sarawakians to cast their votes to give Sarawak a greater voice in Parliament. It is important for Sarawakian voters to bear in mind that a big victory for GPS in the upcoming GE15 will have great impact, especially in our pursuit to reclaim our rights as enshrined in the MA63 and IGC.
While doing this we will also work closely with the federal government to get our economy to greater heights. With various initiatives that the state government has planned and is going for, the fruits of our hard work will be reaped by the future Sarawakians.
