KUCHING, Oct 21 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) may invite Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to form the next federal government if it is unable to win a simple majority of seats in the the general election next month, DAP leader Chong Chieng Jen said today.

Chong, who is also Sarawak PH chief, said the invitation would only be extended to GPS if none of the other coalitions, including Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional, lack the numbers to form the government on its own.

“To me what is beneficial to the people of Malaysia and Sarawak, we will put it as our first priority,” he told reporters here. He acknowledged that GPS could rebuff the invitation, but indicated that the political landscape is always fluid.

GPS is the ruling coalition in Sarawak, formed by the component parties that lost in the 2018 general election when they were part of the BN. PBB is the anchor party in GPS.

Chong was also asked for his response to PBB vice-president Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who said GPS will never ally with DAP and PH and claimed mistreatment from the PH federal government after Election 2018.

The DAP politician denied Karim’s claim.

“When Umno was in the Opposition, GPS went along with Umno as the Opposition in Parliament.

“When the Sheraton Move took place, Umno became part of the federal government and GPS joined Umno as part of the federal government.

“So it seems that for GPS, Umno is the natural and first choice partner,” Chong said.

He also insisted that the PH federal government had treated all states equally during its 22 months in Putrajaya, contrary to Karim’s allegation.

Karim said two days ago that GPS would not mind working with any coalition or party from the peninsula as long as it did not involve DAP or PH.

The Sarawak tourism, creative industry and performing arts minister claimed that the PH federal government had treated the component parties of GPS who were still with BN back then as an adversary despite their attempt to bury the hatchet.

Karim reportedly said that GPS component parties felt they had been sidelined as many of the projects in Sarawak back then had been cancelled by the PH federal government.