By Nigel Edgar
KUCHING, July 14: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing opines that it is ‘ridiculous’ for Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh to ask Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to decide whether Wong should resign from the state cabinet.
To Masing who is also Deputy Chief Minister, Wong has been deliberately brushing aside the writing on the wall.
“Personally, it is ridiculous for him (Wong) to ask CM to decide if he should leave (state cabinet).
“The writing is on the wall ‘lama sudah’ (a long time) but he refused to read it — when MRP (minor rural project fund) and MRTP (minor rural transformation programme fund) allocations have been cut from PSB, ‘sudah lama’ (a long time ago) — when CM said about termites in Marudi.
“He is big (sic) enough to read the writings on the wall,” Masing told the press at the PRS Ngiling Bidai open house at the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) Hall here today.
Masing said another ‘writing on the wall’ is the removal of all PSB councillors from the new proposed list after the expiry of term for all councillors on June 30, 2019.
He thus asked Wong to do “the honourable thing”, which is to resign.
“Don’t make CM decide,” said Masing, who is also Infrastructure Development and Transportation Minister.
Masing was commenting on the latest turn in Sarawak’s politics where Wong as Sarawak Second Finance Minister as well as International Trade and E-Commerce Minister is considering resigning from all his cabinet posts.
Wong has been mulling over resigning because he believed that the state leadership “has cut off the arms and legs” of PSB which left him “no moral locus standi to represent the party in the cabinet” and it was “a matter of political integrity”.
The whole episode was triggered by the new proposed councillors’ list which was discussed in the cabinet on July 11. No PSB leaders or members were named in the list.
At the PSB Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC) held in Sibu yesterday, Wong sought approval from the ADC for his resignation.
The ADC however, resolved that Wong should make the decision. Following the ADC’s resolution, Wong announced in a press conference yesterday afternoon that he would leave the decision to resign from his cabinet posts to Abang Johari.
Abang Johari when approached by the media last night at the Rainforest World Music Festival said he would only comment on the matter after he met up with Wong.
PSB is not a component party of the ruling coalition of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) which comprises Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples’ Party, PRS and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), even though Wong is included in the state cabinet.
PSB which was formerly called United People’s Party, is a splinter party of SUPP and has has declared itself a GPS-friendly party since its formation. — DayakDaily
