KUCHING: Was the reward so big for Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to join the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal Cabinet?
Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary-general Lim Guan Eng asked this question during his party’s fundraising dinner at Crown Imperial Hall last Saturday night.
In other words, he was wondering about the price of a quid pro quo (Latin phrase meaning ‘something for something’) between PN and GPS.
“GPS is willing to support the new government that was not voted by the people. They are now associated with Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and United Malays National Organisation (Umno) that were rejected by the people in 2018.
“I foresee that the new government will be dominated by PAS and Umno. GPS did not support former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad because he was considered indecisive although he had made it very clear that he could not accept Umno,” he said.
Lim further said that when Sarawak DAP wanted to work with GPS to save Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government, the state coalition said it was ‘paloi‘ (foolish) to work with DAP. So, he asked how working with PAS and Umno is any different?
The former finance minister then urged Sarawakians to make their stand because as kingmakers they could demand that GPS make decisions based on their wishes. They must apply pressure on GPS not to sell the state’s future for a few ministerial posts.
He also questioned the logic of the new government which argued that parties that lost in the 14th general election actually had already won in the government.
He reckoned that the battle for the soul of Malaysia and the fight to right the wrong must start from Sarawak, making Sarawakians the determiners of which party or coalition would form the government in Putrajaya.
“We need to respect and obey the decisions and choices made by the people because they are the ones who vote in the government.”
For him, it is not over yet, as his party would continue to fight and wait for the coming parliamentary sitting to see which MPs have the vote to decide the future of Malaysia.
