KUCHING: Perikatan Nasional (PN) plus Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government will open the doors for Sarawak to fight for its rights as enshrined under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Assistant Minister Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said GPS’s decision to join the PN federal cabinet would not compromise the state’s fight for its interests under MA63.
“In fact, this collaboration will open rooms and doors for the return of our rights especially in oil and gas matters.
“In addition, we will continue to safeguard the freedom and rights of all ethnic groups and various religions in practising their beliefs, faith and cultures as have been the way of the people of Sarawak,” she told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
She also said that GPS’s decision was made in the best interest of the state and the country.
She assured that GPS would remain as an independent political entity uniquely comprised of local Sarawak-based parties while at the same time, it would have a collaborative relationship with PN.
“GPS is not fused together as one entity with PN. We will remain distinct and separate from them, but we will work together for Sarawak,” she explained.
She shared that when Pakatan Harapan (PH) was in power, Sarawak was not given any of its oil and gas rights that it demanded such as matters with Petronas and State Sales Tax (SST).
“The previous government denied us of the real deal so now, it is the right time for us to demand our rights with the new administration,” she said.
On Saturday, Abang Johari announced that GPS had decided to accept Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s invitation to form the new federal Cabinet along with PN.
He however stressed that the federal government would be a PN plus GPS government as the state coalition was not joining the federal coalition.
