Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing
KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing insisted that a single multiracial party comprising components in newly-formed Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) must be formed before the next state election by 2021.
He cautioned that GPS could face problems come the state election if its structure mimics that of Barisan Nasional (BN), the coalition which they chose to leave following a meeting last Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after chairing PRS supreme council meeting at the party headquarters here today, he said the supreme council agreed to the formation of this single multiracial party and at the same time they also put up certain conditions for this proposed entity to be effective.
He revealed the conditions include restructuring the state civil service to reflect the social fabric of Sarawak society and to increase allocations to non-Muslim religions.
In a veiled reference to Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), he said there cannot be a dominant party in GPS having more than half of the ADUNs (assemblymen) in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN).
PBB currently holds 46 out of the 82 seats in the DUN. In the 2016 state election, it won 40 seats but later was joined by five direct BN candidates. A direct BN candidate then announced this year that he had joined PBB.
“BN lost (in the recent 14th General Electton) not because BN was bad, but it was too much dominated by Umno. Smaller parties are not being heard, and opinions and cries not being listened to. Our boys in PRS are not happy with this.
“Therefore GPS must allow other parties to be involved and have their say. There should be no parties dominant in that association. Dominance meaning (a party) should not have more than half of numbers of ADUNs in the DUN,” he said.
He added the question of who will be the Chief Minster following the formation of this single multiracial party will depend ‘later on’ but he did not elaborate further.
To a question, Masing admitted PBB was not very keen on the idea of this new single multiracial party, when the proposal was discussed last Tuesday before the four ruling parties announced the dissolution of Sarawak BN for the formation of GPS.
He said the two other parties Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) were quite on the matter, but he believed their silence could mean they could go either way.
“Whatever it is, we are still on engagement purpose with them. A GPS task force has been formed and chaired by (PBB secretary general) Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi, and and that would decide finetuning GPS so that it fits into the aspirations and needs of Sarawakians.
“Hopefully our members sitting there in the task force can convince the others on areas to be looked into,” added Masing, who is also Deputy Chief Minister.
The members of this task force from PRS are its secretary general Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, women chief Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodie and youth chief Datuk Snowdan Lawan.
The task force are expected to hold a meeting in the next few days after this Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays.
On another matter, Masing said he was open to meet Sabah politician Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan whom he described as an old friend.
Contrary to rumours, Masing said he had yet to meet the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president, who had mooted the idea of a Borneon political bloc.