KUCHING: Unity and a spirit of cooperation among component parties remain the fundamental pillars of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), ensuring political stability and the continuity of the state’s development.

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and President of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, said the coalition’s strength lies in each party’s ability to manage differing views with maturity through consensus, mutual respect and genuine power-sharing.

He said this while delivering his speech at the GPS Convention held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Sunday.

According to him, effective leadership is not measured by how vocal one is, but by consistency in serving and fulfilling responsibilities to the people.

“Leadership is not about who speaks the loudest, but who remains most consistent in serving and contributing to the people.

“It is also not about position, but about the responsibility that must be carried out with trust and integrity,” he said.

Elaborating further, he noted that GPS has proven its capability as a stable, mature and credible coalition, owing to the wisdom of its leadership in managing differences.

However, he stressed that all parties must acknowledge existing shortcomings and strive to address them to ensure the coalition remains relevant and continues to earn public confidence.

“We must acknowledge our weaknesses and work to improve them, rather than persist in defending our mistakes with arrogance,” he said.

At the same time, he pointed out that the people place high expectations on the leadership of Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Abang Openg, to ensure that basic needs are safeguarded and disaster risks are managed comprehensively.

He added that public confidence in GPS must continue to be strengthened, particularly in facing the upcoming elections.

“The people must be confident that GPS is a stable and united coalition that consistently prioritises Sarawak’s interests,” he said.

He emphasised that such confidence depends on past performance as well as how the leadership steers the coalition in the future.

In this regard, Dato Sri Tiong called on all parties to further strengthen the foundation of unity that has been built by upholding mutual respect and reinforcing the spirit of consensus in every decision.

“We must ensure that every component within GPS plays a meaningful role, as our strength is a shared strength,” he said.

Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof, Sarawak Deputy Premier and President of the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, President of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Dato Sri John Sikie Tayai, as well as other distinguished guests. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Ezzah Syafiqah
Photo: Ameerul Syafiq
Translator: Uilson Ng