PARTI Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Wong Soon Koh says he will resign from the Sarawak cabinet in the next 48 hours.

Wong, who is International Trade and E-Commerce and Second Finance Minister, in a hastily called press conference this afternoon, said he was still arranging a meeting with Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg.

“(It will take place) maybe tomorrow or the day after,” he said.

Wong said his earlier statement made in Sibu at his party’s special delegates’ conference over the weekend had been misconstrued. 

“Its common courtesy that I see him to tender my resignation. He appointed me. It’s not a case of whether I stay or not at the advice of the chief minister,” Wong, who had been the second finance minister for 15 years, said.

“It’s a matter of courtesy that I inform him officially that I am leaving the cabinet and also where my party will go to after this,” he added.

Wong said he was particularly irked by the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) chief James Masing’s statement yesterday that Wong should stop whining and resign immediately.

Masing had said Wong should have resigned “a long time ago” as the writing was on the wall but he was too “too dumb to read”. 

He had said if Wong was serious about resigning, he should just do so instead of saying he wants to meet the chief minister for advice.

“It’s ridiculous for him to ask the chief minister to decide if he should resign,” Masing told reporters after attending a Gawai event.

“He’s old enough to decide for himself. He’s not a 6-year-old kid.”

Wong, who said he was resigning as a “matter of political integrity”, had earlier said he was quitting as he has no moral locus standi to represent the party in the state cabinet as “all my legs and arms have been chopped off”.

He was referring to the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition cutting off all minor rural project (MRP) and minor rural transformation project (MRTP) funding to all five PSB assemblymen, and denying PSB the right to nominate new councillors to district, municipal and city councils, as well as representatives to government statutory bodies.

“I’m all alone in the cabinet.”

On PSB’s direction moving forward, the Bawang Assan assemblyman said it would be a free, independent party and that it was prepared to work with “like-minded individuals and parties in our struggle for Sarawak and its people, particularly in recovering its lost rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963”.

Wong said PSB’ political mission remained the same as GPS but would no longer be held down by any coalition policies.

“For PSB, the road ahead is very wide.”

On whether that meant contesting in Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) or Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) seats, Wong answered: “Why not?”

PSB began as the United People’s Party (UPP), an off-shoot of SUPP after a bitter 2011 election in which Wong lost the contest for the presidency.

It was rebranded PSB last year. – July 15, 2019.