By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Mar 13: Semop assemblyman Abdullah Saidol believes that the two Sarawakian MPs in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) will lend their support to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) when constitutional amendments in favour of Sarawak are put in motion in parliament.
Abdullah, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member, was referring to Bersatu leaders Ali Biju (Saratok) and Willie Mongin (Puncak Borneo).
“If we put that (constitutional amendment to regain Sarawak’s rights) in motion, and if they (Ali and Willie) don’t favour it, then, we can ask – ‘Where is the Sarawak spirit in them?’.
“So we will see how it goes, but I hope the two MPs – Willie and Ali – even though they are on a different political platform, personally, I would choose to believe they will support anything in the interests of Sarawak.
“We are together. They are federal government deputy ministers anyway. We have to acknowledge that,” said Abdullah when met by the media at Kuching Court Complex here today.
He was asked by the media whether the lack of two-thirds majority in the parliament will impede Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in realising the promise of upholding Malaysia Agreement 1963 through the federal constitutional amendments.
“Anything that we can amend, that we can change; anything that they (the Peninsular Malaysian MPs) can accommodate within the current set of support in the parliament, we will try to make it,” said Abdullah.
Abdullah believed that the relationship between the current federal government and Sarawak government would boost GPS as a whole.
He indicated that Muhyiddin’s recent speeches and statements showed that the current prime minister understood Sarawak’s situation better than the previous administration and as such, he foresaw an easier negotiation in regaining Sarawak’s rights.
“I mean we are not asking for anything more than what is stipulated under the Federal Constitution or MA63,” said Abdullah.
He said the insistence of GPS that the national ruling coalition should be a PN (Perikatan Nasional) + GPS instead of just a PN government showed that Sarawak would not give an inch back in its struggle to recover its lost rights.
“So nobody should assume that our ministers in the cabinet will just agree to anything. Anything that is related to our rights and issues, they will stay firm. It is good that we are in the cabinet,” said Abdullah who is also Assistant Minister in Chief Minister’s Office. —DayakDaily
