KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) stands its ground in the face attacks by three Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component parties over its acceptance of former members of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).
The party’s secretariat yesterday issued a statement to respond to the comments of PRS, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) on the recent increase of PSB membership.
The statement said it is a known fact that SUPP had been at logger-heads with UPP (now PSB) since the formation of the party.
“So we are not at all surprised that they have chosen to jump on the bandwagon to attack PSB now that the opportunity to do so has arisen.”
PSB contended SUPP has no cause for grievance since to date, no SUPP member has joined PSB.
On a newspaper report that SUPP deputy president who is also the Serian MP Dato Sri Richard Riot may consider crossing over to PSB, the statement said the speculation was dismissed by SUPP secretary general Datuk Sebastian Ting the next day
“However, even if Riot does leave SUPP, we need only refer to a report of a statement by SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian ‘On the possibility of Riot leaving the party due to dissatisfaction’- Dr Sim said Sarawak practises democracy and any member can leave any party when they chose to.
“It must be noted that in his statement, Dr Sim never denied dissatisfaction on the part of Riot and even went on record to say Riot was free to leave if he chose to as this is a democracy.”
PSB said SUPP’s war with UPP is public knowledge when they openly fielded candidates bearing SUPP and BN banners in the last state election against BN direct candidates from UPP.
“We have plenty of photographic and video evidence which were given to then chief minister, the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem to show that a component party SUPP openly campaigned against BN candidates but his advice then was ‘the election is over, let’s just move on.’
The SUPP campaign against BN candidates speaks volumes for purported ‘loyalty’ of SUPP to a coalition that SUPP was a component of at that time. Is loyalty something that comes to the fore only when it is convenient?”
On PDP, the statement said PSB has no issue with that GPS component party.
“As we stated in a previous press release, PDP assemblymen left PDP and eventually joined Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB). PDP grievances are not with us.”
On the slew of PRS statements condemning PSB for accepting Dayak political leaders and their supporters the statement said they did not belong to any political party when they joined PSB.
“We wish to point out that Datuk Joseph Entulu and his supporters, Dato’ Masir Kujat and other Dayak leaders like Datuk Sylvester Entrie and Banyi Beriak were independent and are surely free to join any party they wish.
As for former Selangau MP and former PRS deputy president Entulu and his followers, it is well-known that they were sacked by a special committee of PRS on the eve of nomination day in the last general election.
It was clear that PRS clearly no longer wanted Entulu and his supporters the statement pointed out.
“For PRS to complain about Entulu and his group joining PSB, it smacks of the classic ‘dog in the manger’ attitude, defined by the dictionary as ‘a person who spitefully refuses to let someone else benefit from something which he or she has no personal use for’.
The statement added that it is in the interests of Sarawak that Entulu and his supporters joined PSB rather than to join PH which is controlled by head offices in Peninsular Malaysia.
“If Entulu and his group are parties of substance, then Sarawak must surely benefit from their support for PSB. If Entulu’s group is of no substance, then no one should care where they go since they are partyless. We now address the issue of Dato’ Masir Kujat. It cannot be gainsaid that Dato’ Masir is not happy in PRS. Those within PRS are fully acquainted with that fact. They know why he wanted to leave. The only issue is this: is it better for Sarawak and the present government that Dato’ Masir joins PSB or joins PH?”
PSB accepted Masir because it believes that the interests of Sarawak would be best served by him joining us rather than for him to join PH.
In effect, the statement said PSB kept Dato’ Masir from PH.
“Is that a disservice to Sarawak?”
“Those who complained stridently about Masir leaving should look to their management of their own party. What has happened to cause disillusionment amongst its leaders or members? Loyalty must be earned and should never be taken for granted.”