KUCHING: The bold decision to form Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) following the fall of Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2018 was made to ensure that Sarawak’s sovereignty within Malaysia remains safeguarded.

Sarawak Premier and GPS President, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg, said that the political aftermath of BN’s collapse had, to some extent, disrupted development in the state.

Several major projects, such as bridges, were cancelled by the Federal Government at that time, especially when BN had become the opposition.

He said Sarawak had to chart a new course swiftly to protect its sovereignty and continue progressing based on its own resources and the unity of its people.

“After that defeat, what happened was that we became the opposition, and immediately all strategic projects, particularly those for Sarawak, were cancelled.

“Projects that had a significant impact on Sarawak, especially those benefiting rural communities, such as water and electricity supply, were all cancelled,” he said.

He stated this during his address at the 6th Triennial Delegates Conference of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) held here on Saturday.

According to Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari, the political stability achieved through the coalition of Sarawak-based parties has enabled the state to focus on generating its own revenue to revive cancelled projects and even initiate new ones for the well-being of its people.

“In the end, we continued the projects that the Federal Government had cancelled, but in our own way.

“We developed the bridges, water supply, and electricity projects ourselves. We continued the Rural Transformation Programme (RTP), and we carried out both urban and rural infrastructure development through what I call the restructuring of state revenue,” he explained.

In addition to continuing these projects, he reminded that GPS, together with all its component parties, will continue to fight to defend Sarawak’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), ensuring that the state’s sovereignty remains secure and that its constitutional rights are respected by all parties.

Also present at the event were Sarawak Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, and Datuk Amar Professor Dr. Sim Kui Hian, along with other invited guests. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Jonnie Kiew
Photo: Ibanez Jeffery Guang