PSB an alternative to GPS, not a clone, says See

 

Batu Lintang candidate See Chee How says PSB is positioning itself as an alternative government for Sarawakians.

KUCHING: See Chee How, the Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) candidate for Batu Lintang, has rejected any notion of a similarity between his party and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).

Reacting to criticism from Pakatan Harapan (PH), he said state second finance minister Wong Soon Koh would not have left GPS to set up PSB if the goal was to be just like GPS.

Sarawak PH chief Chong Chieng Jen recently remarked that PSB and GPS espoused the same ideology and had the same modus operandi. Other PH figures have referred to it as a splinter of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).

Speaking to FMT, See noted that PSB president Wong was pushing 80 and said it was inconceivable that he would start a new party just to replicate GPS.

He said: “People might see Wong as having been there for quite some time, cooperating with then Barisan Nasional – and now GPS – leaders.

“But if Wong wanted PSB to be the same, he didn’t need to build a platform like this and bring in people like us.” He was referring to former PKR leaders like Baru Bian and himself.

See said joining PSB had not made him soften his stand on issues he had championed for more than two decades, such as native customary rights (NCR) lands, Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and Sarawak’s sovereign wealth fund.

He said PSB’s inclusion of these issues in its manifesto for the state election showed that the party had no similarity with GPS.

He declared that PSB was positioning itself as an alternative government for Sarawakians and offering leaders with the experience and calibre to rival GPS leaders.

“That is why it’s a fantastic platform to bring people together,” he said. “Even Bolly Lapok, the former bishop of the Anglican Church in Sarawak, has joined us. You don’t question people like him.”

See won the Batu Lintang seat for PKR in 2011 and 2016.

The Sheraton move and the change in the federal government in March 2020 led to his departure from PKR. He joined PSB the following May.

He said he could not be called a party hopper as he did not defect but was sacked from PKR, a party he had been with for more than 13 years.

“They have tried to paint that picture of my being a frog,” he said. “But it’s no problem. I think my strong point is the service that I’ve given my constituents in Batu Lintang. I think people will understand that the party is just a platform.”

He added that leaving PKR had allowed him to be more vocal on issues pertaining to Sarawak.

When he was with PKR, he said, he told the state chapter to be more state-based and concerned about issues specific to Sarawak but this was not well-received.

See’s bid to defend his seat will be challenged by Cherishe Ng from PKR, Sih Hua Tong (GPS), Voon Lee Shan (Parti Bumi Kenyalang), and Leong Shaow Tung ( Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak).

Sarawak goes to the polls on Dec 18, with early voting taking place on Dec 14. - FMT