United Sarawak Party
Parti Sarawak Bersatu
Malay nameParti Sarawak Bersatu
ڤرتي سراوق برساتو
Chinese name砂拉越全民團結黨
砂拉越全民团结党
Sa-la-oa̍t Choân-bîn Thoân-kiat-tóng
Saa1 Laa1 Jyut6 Cyun4 Man4 Tyun4 Git3 Dong2
Shālāyuè quan min tuán jié dǎng
AbbreviationPSB
PresidentWong Soon Koh
Secretary-GeneralBaru Bian
Founders• Dato' Sri Wong Soon Koh
• Datuk Dr. Jerip Susil
• Johnnical Rayong Ngipa
• Ranum anak Mina
Founded2014 (founded as UPP), 2019 (renamed as PSB with merger of UPP and former SUPP breakway members)
Split fromSUPP
Preceded byUPP (2014-2019)
SUPP (Wong Soon Koh faction)
HeadquartersKuching, Sarawak
Membership28,500 (August 2023)
Ideology• Regionalism
• Self-determination
• National conservatism
• MA63 & Sarawak rights
• Multiracial democracy
• National reformism
Political positionCentre to centre-right[1]
National affiliationAllied coalitions:
• Barisan Nasional (2014–2019)
• Pakatan Harapan (2019–2022)
• Perikatan Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak (PERKASA) (2022–2023)
• Gabungan Parti Sarawak (2023–now) (GPS–friendly alliance)
Colours  Red,   Yellow,   Gold
SloganUbah Sekarang, Sarawak Maju
AnthemParti Sarawak Bersatu
Dewan Negara:
0 / 70
Dewan Rakyat:
0 / 31
(Sarawak seats)
Sarawak State Legislative Assembly:
3 / 82
Premier of Sarawak:
0 / 1
(Sarawak only)
Party flag

(Current PSB flag)
Website
www.partisarawakbersatu.org
Parti Sarawak Bersatu on Facebook

The United Sarawak Party (Malay: Parti Sarawak Bersatu, abbreviated PSB) is a multi-racial political party based in the state of Sarawak.[2]

In 2021, PSB managed to retain their four seats (Batu Lintang, Engkilili, Ba'kelalan and Bawang Assan), making it the new opposition party in Sarawak, replacing Pakatan Harapan which only won two seats (Pending and Padungan, all under DAP). In 2023, the party signs a memorandum with the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) to show its support to the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government and set to dissolve itself before the upcoming Chinese New Year 2024.

History

Logo of initial United People's Party (UPP), 2014–2019.

Formation as United People's Party (UPP)

Wong Soon Koh, founder of PSB

The party was initially founded as United People's Party and officially launched on 17 August 2014 as a new symbol of change and unity for the Chinese community of Sarawak with its headquarters based at Kuching.[3][4] The UPP was actually a splinter party of Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) set-up by the Second Finance Minister for Sarawak, Wong Soon Koh along with his supporters following a leadership tussle of the party then and it started as a pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) political pact[3][4] However the hopes that the UPP would join BN were objected by the coalition leadership.[5] UPP rejected Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB)'s suggestion that UPP should dissolve to pave the way for its members to join other Sarawak BN component parties arguing that they have over 26 full-fledged branches with 30,000 members and that UPP was able to raise RM38 million (US$9.3 million) for an education fund in less than a fortnight.[6] UPP's ability to raise significant funds is widely attributed to the support they enjoy from Sarawak's powerful timber tycoons.[7]

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was made between UPP and SUPP of BN for the division of seats to be contested in the 2016 Sarawak state election which saw UPP win five out of seven seats it was allocated.[8] UPP however cancelled the MoU with SUPP after the 2016 state election.[9]

Both rival parties again signed MoU for collaboration in the 2018 general election (GE14).[10] After the GE14 which saw the downfall of BN federal government, the state BN components quit and formed themselves as the new Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition without UPP.

Re-branding as Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB)

UPP was re-branded to United Sarawak Party or Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), after an Extraordinary Delegates Conference (EDC) on 8 December 2018. The party's name change and new logo was approved by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in 2019.[2] PSB, amidst of being left out of the newly formed GPS coalition, choose to maintain its status quo, but shifted from being a BN-friendly to GPS-friendly party by providing supply and confidence to the new GPS coalition of the Sarawak state government.[11] Somehow the party status changed when PSB opted to be an independent instead when its president, Wong, tendered his resignation from the state Cabinet as the International Trade and e-Commerce Minister and second Minister of Finance in July 2019 .[12]

2020–21 Malaysian political crisis

During the 2020 Malaysian political crisis, the support inclination of PSB Sri Aman MP; Masir Kujat, was in much speculation and attention for the tussling parties of the political scene.[13] Despite being arranged to be seated alongside the new governing Perikatan Nasional (PN) backbencher MPs in the Dewan Rakyat during the historic the one-day Parliament sitting on 17 May, Masir has clarified that he and the PSB party is still in the opposition bloc in the federal and state levels.[14]

Impact of the prolonged political crisis had also witnessed two former Sarawak People's Justice Party (PKR) legislature representatives; Selangau MP incumbent Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian and Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How, together with their supporters have joined PSB on 30 May 2020.[15] In August 2021, PM Muhyiddin Yassin of PN resigned, PSB pledge to support PH's Anwar Ibrahim as prime ministerial candidate but will back Shafie Apdal of Parti Warisan Sabah as an alternative if Anwar not chosen.[16] PSB though stated it wish to remain an independent party without affiliation to any political alliance including PH.[17]

After elections for Sarawak assembly in 2021 and for Dewan Rakyat in 2022, the party lost its representation in the Dewan Rakyat but became the largest opposition party in Sarawak. The party reacted positively to the formation of unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim.[18] Despite being opposition leader in Sarawak assembly, in July 2023, party president Wong Soon Koh on behalf of the party signed an Memorandum of Understanding with Progressive Democratic Party, a component of GPS.[19] It pledged to support Abang Johari's state government again as well as supporting Anwar Ibrahim's government at federal level.[20]

Elected representatives

Member of Parliament

Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly)

Malaysian State Assembly Representatives

PSB for the time being has 3 members in the 19th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly:

3 / 82
State No. Federal Constituency No. State Constituency Member Party
 Sarawak P203 Lubok Antu N33 Engkilili Johnical Rayong Ngipa PSB
P212 Sibu N53 Bawang Assan Wong Soon Koh PSB
P222 Lawas N81 Ba'kelalan Baru Bian PSB
Total Sarawak (3)

General election results

Election Total seats won Seats contested Total votes Voting Percentage Outcome of election Election leader
2018
0 / 222
 10 57,579 0.37 No representation in Parliament
(BN)		 Wong Soon Koh
2022
0 / 222
 7 22,389 0.00 No representation in Parliament
(PERKASA)		 Wong Soon Koh
2028
0 / 222
 11 57,579 0.37 No representation in Parliament
(PERKASA)		 Wong Soon Koh

State election results

State electionState Legislative Assembly
SarawakTotal won / Total contested
2/3 majority
2 / 3
2016

(BN Direct)
5 / 82
5 / 7
2021
4 / 82
4 / 70

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Retired Anglican bishop Bolly Lapok joins PSB (Video)". Borneo Post Online. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Its now PSB". The Borneo Post. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  3. 1 2 Jessica Jawing (21 October 2014). "Parti Rakyat Bersatu lancar ibu pejabat di Kuching" (in Malay). Utusan Borneo. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Bekas ahli SUPP bentuk parti baharu dikenali Parti Rakyat Bersatu" (in Malay). Berita Harian. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Harapan UPP dan Teras untuk sertai gabungan BN Sarawak berkecai". Bernama (in Malay). Berita Harian. 6 December 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Lo UPP Will Not Be Dissolved to Remain BN Friendly". Bernama. The Borneo Post. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Tycoon Politics in Sarawak". Bernama. Malaysia Today. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  8. ↑ "Adenan: Masalah BN S'wak selesai sebelum penamaan calon". Bernama (in Malay). Malaysiakini. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Decision to terminate MOU made during UPP TDC over the weekend". Bernama. The Borneo Post. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "GE14: SUPP, UPP to collaborate under SUPP flag". Dayak Daily. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "United People's Party renamed Parti Sarawak Bersatu, pledges support for Abang Johari". Malay Mail. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  12. ↑ "Sarawak CM: Wong Soon Koh's resignation as Cabinet minister accepted". Malay Mail. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "Sri Aman MP now in Dr M's camp". Malay Mail. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "Perikatan govt majority falls to two after Sarawak MP Masir Kujat insists still part of Opposition bloc". Malay Mail. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  15. ↑ "It's official – Baru, See join PSB with over 20 former PKR leaders". The Borneo Post. 30 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "PSB to back Shafie as alternative PM candidate, should Anwar fail to be chosen". The Borneo Post. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  17. ↑ "Parti Sarawak Bersatu to stay independent, won't join Pakatan". The Star. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  18. ↑ "Soon Koh: Anwar's unity govt is Malaysia's new hope". Borneo Post Online. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  19. ↑ "Once foes, now friends: PSB to work with PDP, backs state and federal govts". The Star. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  20. ↑ "Sarawak's PSB pledges support for Abang Jo". Malaysiakini. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
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