SARAWAK United People’s Party (SUPP) is free to leave the state ruling bloc, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), if it feels GPS is not the right platform for their struggle.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Abdul Karim Hamzah, whose party is the mainstay of the bloc, made the call today.

“They can opt to leave or disassociate themselves from GPS. Don’t dictate (to us),” Karim said in response to SUPP’s 10 conditions for the setting up of the coalition that were reportedly leaked.

SUPP has have yet to raise these conditions with its GPS partners, who are PBB, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

PBB has 45 of the 82 seats in the state assembly and 16 of the 31 parliamentary seats in the state.

The four parties are remnants of the state Barisan Nasional.

They withdrew en bloc from the BN on May 12, days after the BN’s crushing defeat in the May general election, to pursue their “Sarawak First” policy.

Among SUPP’s leaked demands, which were drawn up at its annual delegates conference last weekend, were that the chief minister shall be a nominee from the founding member party which commands the majority support in the state assembly and the three deputy chief ministers should be nominated from the three other founding parties; each member party shall have the full rights and powers in deciding and nominating its own candidates for the state and parliamentary constituencies allocated to them; and no founding member party shall contest or hold at any one time more than 49% of the total number of state seats.

Karim, who is the state Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister, said it was pointless for SUPP to ask for the post of chief minister, deputy chief minister, ministers and other important state government posts if on its own it could not even deliver the seats allocated to them in the state and parliamentary elections.

In June, Karim similarly told  PRS to leave the coalition if it was unhappy with the proposed set up.

 He was then reacting to PRS president James Masing’s call for equal power among members and the disbandment of the four parties to form a single multi-racial party.

The proposals were contained in a memo Masing sent to Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg a day before the last BN Supreme Council meeting on May 12.

PBB leaders were reported to have been opposed to the single multi-racial party idea at the meeting.

“In GPS, its a big no-no to make constructive criticisms” Masing said PBB’s latest warning to SUPP.

“I was asked to leave GPS then. Today SUPP is asked to leave if it keeps its stand for the good of GPS but which is contrary to PBB thinking and interests.

 “I remember few years ago at the height of Umno rule, an Umno member told the Chinese who criticised Umno leadership, ‘if the Chinese aren’t happy with us, you go back to China’.

 “Where is Umno now?”

Masing said it would be wise for PBB and Karim to accept constructive criticisms on how GPS should move forward.

 “Learn to listen to friendly advice sometimes.”

University of Tasmania political analyst James Chin said PBB’s harsh reaction was expected given that the wording of the 10t demands suggested that SUPP could block the admission of the United People’s Party (UPP), a splinter party made up of party rebels.

“PBB wants all Sarawak parties in GPS.”

However, Chin does not believe anything serious would come out of this latest spat.

 “It’s just public positioning. They know if they go their separate ways they will be finished in the stat election.

“PBB is sending public signals for SUPP to be less public in its demands.” – August 17, 2018.