New Sarawak coalition will cooperate with Harapan, says Johari

Sarawak chief minister Abang Johari Openg said the newly-formed state ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which replaces Sarawak BN, will cooperate with Pakatan Harapan.

"GPS will cooperate and collaborate with the federal government on national interests and state rights interests based on the Federal Constitution and the Federation of Malaysia," he told a press conference in Kuching today.

The press conference was attended by the top leadership of PBB, SUPP, PRS and PDP - all the component parties of Sarawak BN – who earlier announced their exit from BN and the formation of a new state-based alliance.

However, Johari said the cooperation did not mean that GPS was joining Harapan.

"We are not joining them (Harapan) as a coalition but we are working with them. We will have our own bloc.

"We will collaborate with the Harapan federal government as we are in a federal system and we have the federal constitution," he said.

Johari also denied that acting Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had appealed to him not to take the Sarawak BN parties out of BN.

"No such thing, it was fake news. The only person I met was the prime minister as a courtesy," he said.

Johari said the four parties, comprising the new grouping, will inform BN that it is leaving the coalition.

"But that is only a formality," he said. -Mkini