The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building stands on the Petra Jaya side of the Sarawak River.
KUCHING (July 12): Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Backbenchers Club has defended the state ruling coalition’s decision to continue backing Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister, stressing that a stable government is what is needed by the nation now and not politicking.
In a response to a statement by Chong yesterday that GPS’ support for Muhyiddin would only prolong the people’s suffering, the GPS Backbenchers said the state DAP chief should stop playing politics during this crucial time in the fight to curb Covid-19 in Sarawak.
According to them, the people are jaded with political talks, particularly with the current situation in Peninsular Malaysia.
“What the nation needs at this time is a stable government to oversee the recovery efforts in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic which require the cooperation of all and the support of the public.
The GPS Backbenchers also asked Chong who he and the state DAP prefer to be the head of the federal government during this time if not Muhyiddin?
“Destabilising the current administration with the belief that things will all turn out fine is, as Chong had said, ‘fallacious’. We can’t take any chances; we shouldn’t gamble with the lives of the people,” they said in a statement today.
They also said the people currently have seen enough of the political tug-of-war that is happening in the Peninsular Malaysia, because a full scale political crisis during this time would do no favour to anyone.
“The GPS, as it did during the political impasse in February 2020, is only interested in saving the nation as it needed a stable federal government. It is no different this time.
“As for Sarawak, in contrast to Chong’s rhetorical statement, the state government has been proactive in both containing the local Covid-19 situation as well as doling out the assistances for the people,” they said.
They also pointed out the state’s vaccine rollout is among the highest, if not the highest nationwide.
“More and more people are receiving the Covid-19 vaccine jab, ensuring that they are protected from the infections.”
Through the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and along with the mass vaccination, they said there have been some improvements to the number of Covid-19 cases in the state although the situation has not fully stabilised.
“We hope that this will continue and we appeal to the public to play their role and do their part in ensuring that the state can make full recovery for everyone’s sake.”
Chong in a statement yesterday said GPS’ support for Muhyiddin would only prolong the suffering of the people and cause more lives to be lost unnecessarily, more business to go under and more people to become unemployed.
Chong added, the call for Muhyiddin to resign as Prime Minister was not politicking, but meant to put a better person to take charge of the country for the sake of the people.
He had also said it was ‘fallacious’ for Chief Minister and GPS chairman Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to say “now not being the time for politicking’.
Last Saturday, it was announced that GPS had reached a consensus to back the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government under the leadership of Muhyiddin.
Abang Johari, who is also GPS chairman, told a press conference last Saturday that this should be the time for Malaysians to consolidate and unite, and bring the country out of the pandemic crisis.
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had announced in a statement on July 7 that the party, which along with GPS backs the PN government, was withdrawing and terminating its support for Muhyiddin as the prime minister with immediate effect.