KUCHING, Sept 7 — Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is not concerned about Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) joining Barisan Nasional (BN) and contesting the 15th general election (GE15) with the latter’s logo, senior coalition leader Datuk Seri Stephen Rundi Utom said today.

Rundi, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) senior vice-president, said whatever happens outside GPS "is none of our business. If they choose to fight us, we will fight them.”

"There is no question of an outside party from Sarawak joining GPS. Whatever logo they want to use, that is their business,” Rundi told reporters after witnessing the signing of a joint venture agreement between Sarawak Farmers Organisation (PPNS) and Sea Horse Corporation Sdn Bhd here.

"If they use the BN logo, so what? We are not BN,” he added.

Asked if it would cause confusion among rural voters since they voted for BN in the past, he said PBB, Sarawak United People’s party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) are no longer in BN.

"Don’t worry about it. We have not been in BN since 2018. We are on our own. We need all Sarawakians to fight. Sarawak first. BN is no longer part of us,” he said.

He said the four parties were in BN before.

"Actually, I was the secretary-general of Sarawak BN, and there were 14 parties in BN. If we went to vote, we were nothing since there were four of us from Sarawak.

"So the best decision was to get out of BN.

"Now, you can see how Sarawakians think, and we can actually stand on our own two feet. Please help us for the sake of Sarawak,” he said.

According to PBM president-designate Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, the Sarawak-based party had applied to join BN, but its membership application was under consideration by the BN supreme council.