GPS playing with words about PN membership?

GPS leaders during a press conference in March. The coalition recently joined other parties in the peninsula to reaffirm support for the Perikatan Nasional government. (Bernama pic)

KUCHING: An academic has accused leaders of Sarawak’s ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) of resorting to hollow statements in trying to explain its relationship with Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Jayum Jawan of Universiti Putra Malaysia said GPS’ declaration of support for PN essentially meant that it had joined the federal coalition.

He said GPS leaders were merely playing with words when they made claims to the effect that their coalition was friendly to PN but not part of it.

“Supporting PN as a separate entity and joining it as a component party are the same,” he said. “GPS is with PN and its leaders are just playing around with words.”

When the PN government was formed last February, Umno, PAS and GPS agreed to nominate Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime minister.

On Sunday, leaders of PPBM, Barisan Nasional, PAS, GPS and Sabah’s PBS and STAR signed a memorandum of understanding to affirm their support of PN.

But Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah said he did not foresee GPS merging with any coalition since it was basking in its reputation as a kingmaker.

“Besides, PPBM has in-house problems it has yet to resolve,” he told FMT. “I don’t think there’ll be any talk about GPS joining hands with PPBM for now.”

Lee noted that PN is not a registered political alliance.

“It was created to represent the group of MPs who had come together to form the federal government,” he said.

He said party leaders who signed the MoU did it only to show that Muhyiddin had the majority support before the Dewan Rakyat sat on Monday. - FMT