Senator Alan Ling
MIRI (April 11): Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak fully supports Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the coalition’s prime minister candidate for the 15th General Election (GE15).
PH Sarawak secretary Senator Alan Ling said Anwar’s candidacy for the nation’s top post came as no surprise.
“PH’s only choice as of now is still Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, it goes without saying and PH Sarawak is supportive of such,” he said in an interview.
The decision to nominate Anwar for the prime minister candidate was decided during a two-day retreat in Port Dickson from April 8 to 9.
Ling pointed out that PH believes that the voters are still willing to give another chance to the coalition in the GE15, if the coalition makes some changes, especially in its policies and relationship between the component parties.
“There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests, and any party subscribing to the values and ideology of struggle of PH could explore the possibility to work together for any political collaboration.”
“It requires PH to practice ‘open door’ policy, as the outcome of GE15 may see the need for PH to have political collaboration with other political parties in order to form the federal government,” Ling said.
He also stressed the importance for PH component parties to continue working together and moving forward as a strong coalition.
However, he said when needed, PH should be flexible for the greater interests of the country and its people should such circumstances arise.
Ling pointed out that the key consideration for any collaboration should be based on consensus of all the component parties within PH, namely PKR, Amanah and DAP.
“Not a single party could dominate and form the government (without collaboration with other political parties) given the political topography, party influence, local sentiment and other factors where coalition politics is still the formula,” he said.
Ling said the most important thing is that the people should not allow the country to be dominated by racism, religious extremism to divide the people and not to allow the country to be continuously tainted for massive corruption, abuses of powers and financial scandals.
“The people of this country deserve a better government to manage its wealth, govern its people and with strong political will to correct many decades’ long and deep rooted problems where regrettably PH though legitimately mandated in GE14 (14th General Election) for one term had lost its power after merely 22 months due to treachery,” he said.
On another note, Ling said PH reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the coalition ahead of the polls and called on voters give PH another chance to prove itself in the GE15.