By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Nov 26: There is no culture of “sabotaging” one another in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, says chairman Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said despite Malaysia making history with a record number of three prime ministers within three years due to the political power struggle at the Federal level, Sarawak remains peaceful and stable.
“Because Sarawak is peaceful, I was able to visit Kabong five times. ‘Kalau gaduh, saya terpaksa nangga belakang saya, takut kena stab’ (If we also have a power struggle, I would have to watch my back out of fear of being sabotaged),” he said when officiating at the leaders with the people gathering at Kabong District Hawker Centre in Betong today.
Abang Johari, who is also the president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) further said that the party has always practiced changes in leadership, adding that the leaders themselves would volunteer to call it a day and give way for others.
He was commenting on the decision by Kalaka incumbent Datuk Abdul Wahab Aziz not to defend his seat in the coming Sarawak Election as he has decided to retire from politics.
“That is our culture. There is no ‘stabbing’ in our government. Everything runs smoothly,” he added.
Abang Johari also mentioned that the GPS government’s term was supposed to end in June 2021 but the State election had to be delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Since the number of Covid-19 cases have dropped, I believe it is time for us to return the mandate back to the people so that they can choose the next government to administer the State.
“For me, what’s important is for Sarawak to have a stable government without any political power struggle and we do not want ‘frogging’ politics as what has happened in Melaka. The message is very clear when all the party-hopping representatives lost in the recent Melaka election.
“Therefore, we must have credibility and integrity as politicians. It is normal for us to be at the top or bottom of the party’s leadership chain sometimes, but we must never cross the party’s principle of struggle,” he said. — DayakDaily
