Fadillah says mutual respect, consultation hold GPS components together
Published on: Tuesday, May 21, 2024
By: FMT
Deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof said all component parties of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) must work to strengthen the coalition.
PETALING JAYA: Deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof has stressed the importance of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component parties maintaining the principles of mutual respect and consultation that form the foundation of the coalition.
Established after Barisan Nasional’s defeat in the 2018 general election, GPS, the ruling coalition in Sarawak, is currently the country’s fourth largest political coalition, with 23 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
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Last month, Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Wong Soon Koh said the Registrar of Societies approved the party’s dissolution on March 19. Following the dissolution, all PSB members were accepted en bloc as members of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) – one of four GPS component parties.
Speaking to FMT on the merger, Fadillah, a senior vice-president at GPS lynchpin Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), downplayed concerns that it could lead to infighting within the coalition.
He said component party leaders must understand and show mutual respect for one another, adding that they should not do anything that could jeopardise the coalition.
“All component parties have to respect that GPS was formed in the spirit of togetherness, because at the time we needed one strong (coalition) from Sarawak,” he said.
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“Based on this understanding, anything that a component party wants to do should only be carried out after due consultation (with all other component parties).
“All the component parties must respect this. Maintain communication, respect each other, and wherever there are discrepancies or differences, sit down and discuss them.
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“At the end of the day, everything has to be done with a view to strengthening GPS.”
GPS, which has 79 seats in the 82-seat Sarawak legislative assembly, is made up of four Sarawak-based parties: PBB, PDP, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).
SUPP president Dr Sim Kui Hian previously voiced some reservations about the merger, with observers saying it could affect the party’s standing among the electorate.
Asked about possible squabbles within GPS for seats in future elections, Fadillah said the coalition would draw on its experience derived from previous seat negotiations to reach an amicable solution.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said, adding: “There’s always a formula to resolve every problem.”
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