EMBATTLED Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Wong Soon Koh today met Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg but did not disclose if he had tendered his resignation from the cabinet as expected.

All the Sarawak international trade and e-commerce and second finance minister had to say after the meeting was that he would “remain the best of friends” with his mentor Abang Johari, said the state public communications unit (Ukas).
 
The Bawang assemblyman said as much in a video clip shared by Ukas on Facebook.

“When I first joined politics in 1987, he was the one who campaigned for me in Bumiputera areas and since then for 32 years we are friends and remain close friends,” Wong said of Abang Johari.

“Although we now have political differences, we are still friends. Not just friends – very good friends.”

Wong said he gave his solemn pledge to support Abang Johari in his service to the people.

“I as president of PSB will do everything to help the chief minister to work hard for the people and the state of Sarawak,” he said.

Wong on Monday had said his resignation from the cabinet was a done deal and that his request to meet the chief minister was not to make him make the decision for him.

Deputy Chief Minister James Masing had said that the PSB president should have resigned “a long time ago” as the “writing had been on the wall”.

Masing said Wong was not a child who had to ask the chief minister to make the decision for him.

In response, Wong said on Monday that the meeting to personally inform the chief minister of his resignation was a matter if  “courtesy” in keeping with “our Asian values”.
 
PSB was born out of Wong’s failure to win the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) presidency in 2011.

Wong and his supporters, including three Dayak assemblymen, quit SUPP en masse to form the United People’s Party (UPP) as PSB is formerly known.
 
While its rivalry with SUPP had prevented it from joining Barisan Nasional and later, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition, PSB had been accused by the other two GPS component parties, Masing’s Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), of recruiting encouraging their members.

Wong has denied the accusation. – July 18, 2019.