BETONG, Nov 12 — Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will support any prime minister candidate after the 15th general election on condition that he is fair to Sarawak, coalition chairman Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said today.
He said GPS imposed the same condition when it supported Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and, later, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the prime minister for the sake of political stability.
“Just like we had supported Muhyiddin and Ismail Sabri, so let GPS also determines who will be the new prime minister on condition that the prime minister is fair to Sarawak,” Abang Johari, who is also the state premier, said at the closing of a seminar on grassroots institution for community leaders here.
He said GPS leaders will defend the state’s rights as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and Inter-Governmental Committee Report.
He also said Sarawak was fortunate as history has shown that it has not had any racial conflict.
He said the history has shown the Dayak and the Malay communities have had a very close relationship for centuries, citing the case of Dayak nationalist Rentap and Malay nationalist Sherrif Mashahor in fighting against Rajah James Brooke in the past as an example.
“In politics, we don’t mix with race. If we do, it means we follow the culture of Malaya,” he said.
“We must never allow the Malayan culture to come to Sarawak because we don’t want Umno to come. We also don't want Bersatu to come.
“If they come, we challenge them for the sake of the unity of Sarawakians,” he said.
The premier said within Umno, its leaders quarrelled among themselves over the post of the prime minister.
“In Sarawak, we don’t compete on who should be the premier because we are all working for the state,” he said.
Among those present at the function was Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah and Betong GPS election candidate Dr Richard Rapu.
