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MIRI – The state ruling coalition, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will not give way to peninsula-based parties to contest in the next general election (GE15).
This includes parties they have friendly relations with, said GPS chairman Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
“We have made it clear that we will field candidates in all the 31 parliamentary constituencies in this state in the coming 15th general elections.
“We in GPS don’t need to get candidates from any other party,” he told reporters at a Hari Raya gathering in Gedong town today.
In last year’s state elections, Perikatan Nasional parties like Bersatu, PAS and Umno were not given any seats to contest in the Sarawak 12th state elections.
GPS fielded candidates in all the 82 state constituencies even though the coalition is a partner to Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional.
GPS, consisting of Abang Johari’s Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak and the Progressive Democratic Party, has been seen as a kingmaker in federal politics.
According to MalaysiaNow, its support, along with that of PAS, was seen as crucial to the success of the so-called Sheraton Move which saw the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in February 2020.
Last year, Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced his bloc would work with GPS at the next general election, adding that an understanding had been reached at a meeting with Abang Johari, the Sarawak premier, several weeks before the state election in December.
He said the understanding included Bersatu giving way to GPS by not contesting the Sarawak election and GPS in turn working with Bersatu at GE15.
“We had an understanding that for the state election, we would support GPS,” he said. – The Vibes, May 5, 2022