No green light yet from GPS for PSB members to join PDP, says Abang Johari

KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has not given the "green light" or approval to Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) members to join the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), to become one of its component parties.

GPS chairman Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg (pic) said there has yet to be any meeting of the coalition that discussed the issue of PSB's members joining PDP since PSB is planning to be disbanded before the coming Chinese New Year.

"Green light from ROS (Registrar of Societies)? (for PSB to be disbanded and the members to join PDP)... I don't know. There is no consensus (official agreement from GPS), we have not held a meeting in GPS (to discuss the issue)," he said after attending a Christmas open house hosted by the Anglican Diocese of Kuching, Rev Datuk Danald Jute on Monday (Dec 25).

Abang Johari, who is also the Sarawak Premier and Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president, was commenting on the announcement that PSB would be disbanded before the coming Chinese New Year and all their 80,000-odd members would join PDP.

The announcement was made by PSB deputy president I Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa, at a PDP pre-Christmas and New Year 2024 celebration in Sibu last night.

According to Dr Rayong, he was informed by the party president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh of the matter and they would refer to the ROS on the procedure for the dissolution.

He said PSB would call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to dissolve the party, while PDP will also hold an EGM to accept the former PSB members into the party.

"We plan to disband PSB, so we can be under the big umbrella of PDP and be part of GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak)," he said.

In the 12th Sarawak State Election in 2021, PSB contested as an opposition party and won only four of the 82 seats contested.

Besides PBB and PDP, GPS, who eventually won the state election by securing 76 seats, also consists of Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS). – Bernama