A SARAWAK opposition lawmaker wants Abang Johari Openg to clear the air over his meeting with Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

DAP Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii wants to know if the former deputy prime minister Zahid discussed the formation of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) with the Sarawak chief minister.

“Did you give the guarantee that GPS would work together with Barisan Nasional in the event BN returns to power?

“Is there some secret pact between GPS and Umno to win the (next) state elections?” he asked after a video clip surfaced on social media, which showed the acting Umno president telling a gathering that the former Sarawak BN component parties had Umno’s blessing to jump ship.

In the undated video, reportedly at an Umno Hari Raya gathering in Selangor, Zahid said he and Abang Johari met to negotiate the formation of GPS in view of the next 12th state election in 2021 where the Sarawak chief minister agreed to the formation of a new state coalition.

However, both leaders on June 7 denied meeting after The Malaysian Insight reported they met to discuss the withdrawal of Abang Johari’s Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu and other Sarawak component parties from BN.

The other three parties are Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

Yii said Abang Johari should come out and clarify Zahid’s claims to Sarawak folk “as it involves issue of public interest and the direction of GPS in the state”.

“The people of Sarawak should not be misled on the intentions of GPS or even made to support such a coalition on false pretences, especially if it still intends to fully support and be part of BN and Umno after the state elections,” he said.

Yii said Zahid’s admission that he had met Abang Johari to discuss the formation of GPS was contrary to the claims made by the chief minister where he denied there was a meeting.

“So, the question is whether there was really a meeting of such manner.

“Either one party is lying, or both are, and I believe they owe it to the people to explain the situation.”

Yii also asked if there is some kind of secret pact between GPS and Umno and if the disassociation of Sarawak BN component parties from BN is a “mere political gimmick” to win the next state elections.

Yii said the video only reinforced Pakatan Harapan’s view that GPS is only “new wine in old bottle”. – June 21, 2018.