By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 24: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) is open to collaborating with any party, says president Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.
Tiong who is also Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (Motac) was clarifying his previous remarks in response to a report by Free Malaysia Today (FMT) yesterday (April 23) on a suggestion from Julau MP Datuk Larry Sng that PDP and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) should merge.
Tiong explained that in his remarks made during the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau open house, he neither mention PRS nor specifically directed the remarks at PRS.
Instead, he clarified that his statement was made to emphasise that PDP is open to collaboration with any party while reiterating that all parties are welcome to initiate discussions regarding potential partnerships or mergers.
His remarks that were quoted by FMT were made in direct response to a reporter’s question about Sng’s Facebook post suggesting that PDP and PRS merge following the dissolution of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and its members joining the former en bloc.
“Again, I reiterate that I was merely responding to a reporter’s question during MyCEB open house who asked for my response on YB Larry Sng’s comments on a potential merger between PDP and PRS.”
Earlier, leaders of other parties responded to Tiong’s initial reported remarks, with PRS Youth Chief Datuk Snowdan Lawan commenting that it is “mere sensational reports—no more and no less” and stressed that “since it is not a substantive report, we shall leave it as a mere report”.
Meanwhile, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera (PBB) vice president Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah commented that Tiong was not saying that they are making efforts on realising the proposal but merely answering the call by Sng.
Regardless, Tiong called for the issue to be simplified, highlighting that further speculation will serve no purpose and that all parties should move forward.
“His (Sng) comments are his own and I do not wish to add further,” said Tiong in his Facebook post. — DayakDaily
