KUCHING, August 13: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) should not demand for equal partnership within Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) because it only has one Member of Parliament (MP) and seven assemblymen, opined its deputy president, Dato Sri Richard Riot Jaem.
He said the party had to be “practical” because Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) has 46 assemblypersons and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) has 11. Its other coalition partner, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), has three.
Currently, GPS and the GPS-friendly United People’s Party (UPP), have 72 out of the 82 seats in the state legislature.
“To me, if we can just get half of the deal (in GPS) is good enough as we have only seven seats in DUN (State Legislative Assembly). And at the national level, I’m the only MP since the last two terms,” Riot told DayakDaily today.
Meanwhile, Riot revealed that during the party’s Annual Delegates’ Conference held here yesterday, the party unanimously supported its president, Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, and GPS chairman Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to lead the local pact into the next state election, which must be held by 2021.
On another matter, Riot, who is also Serian MP, hoped the federal government would increase the capacity of the water treatment plant at Slabi.
“The capacity of the water treatment plant at Slabi needs to be increased as the treated water from there is distributed not only to the people in Serian but also to those living as far as Gedong and Simunjan.
“So, we hope the PH federal government will continue to allocate more funds for the people of Serian, like what the (previous) BN government did,” said Riot.
The Slabi water treatment plant was last upgraded in 2013 at a cost of RM116 million. Three years earlier, the federal government had allocated RM200 million to upgrade the plant, including the laying of water mains. — DayakDaily
