Dr James Jemut Masing
KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said today that he prefers Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to stay independent instead of joining the rumoured coalition, Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“Personally, I would like us to be PN-friendly, but not part of the PN administration. This way we maintain our political independence. We want a stable national government. Political instability is not good for anyone,” the deputy chief minister told The Borneo Post.
He was responding to a report in Malay Mail yesterday which cited Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) Pemanis assemblyman Chong Fat Full as saying that PN would replace the current Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
The new coalition would include several leaders from Democratic Action Party (DAP), Amanah, GPS, Umno and PAS, he told reporters at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya where the PKR faction aligned to deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali had gathered.
Meanwhile, Santubong MP Dato Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was tight-lipped when asked what transpired at a meeting between GPS chairman Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and the coalition’s parliamentarians in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
He told The Borneo Post in a brief reply to wait for Abang Johari’s press conference tomorrow evening.
According to multiple news outlet, a two-hour meeting was held between Abang Johari and the GPS MPs at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Kuala Lumpur yesterday, after which the Sarawak Chief Minister was reported to have met party leaders from across the divide.
The ongoing political crisis unfolded after a tense Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting on Friday night, where Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was pressured to set a date to step down from office.