THERE is an expected howl of derision from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders to the jibe that the ruling state coalition is the “third party” in the opposition Umno-PAS coalition.

Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president James Masing led the chorus of disapproval by dismissing the comments as Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s “fertile imagination”.

Masing said Chong’s fertile imagination fed such fear to the extent that “he is even scared of his own shadow”.

On Sunday night, Chong had said GPS could return to haunt PH at the next general election by siding with Umno and PAS.

Chong, who is also state DAP chief, had said even though the Umno-PAS alliance was a major threat to PH, the two could not win the general election if they do not get help from GPS.

In last year’s May general election, GPS – then part of the Barisan Nasional coalition – won 19 of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak while PH took 10. The rest were won by independent candidates.

The two independents, Larry Sng (Julau) and Jugah Muyang (Lubok Antu), have since joined PKR.

Abdullah Saidol, chairman of the Sarawak Backbenchers’ Club, said Chong’s claim showed “state PH is focused on helping their Malaya masters to colonise and rule Sarawak”.

Abdullah, also assistant minister in the chief minister’s office, said Chong, in “trying his best to impress his masters in Malaya”, forgot to talk about protecting Sarawak’s rights and interests.

Referring to Chong’s boasts that the PH government had increased the country’s revenue, reducing expenditure and the RM1 trillion national debt, Abdullah said he was not telling the truth.

Abdullah said, for example, the increased national revenue was secured not from foreign or local investments but by the disposal of many national interests in government-linked companies and assets.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Abdul Karim Hamzah also questioned Chong’s loyalty to his state.

Karim said Chong is willing to turn his back on Sarawak for “the sake of ingratiating his boss in the peninsular”.

It’s sad, he said, to see the deputy minister of domestic trade and consumer affairs, who once used to be vocal about Sarawak had been reduced “to lifting his (DAP) bosses like Lim Guan Eng”.

Political analyst James Chin said Chong’s claim was deliberate and designed to give the impression the state election would only be a two-horse race between PH and GPS to force voters to choose between the two.

He added he believed GPS might consider a working arrangement with the PH, similar to Warisan’s arrangement in Sabah, if GPS retains power in a landslide victory.

Sources in PH told The Malaysian Insight that this was a political scenario DAP did not want to happen. – July 31, 2019.