A political analyst believes UPP is changing its name to Party Sarawak Bersatu to join the ruling coalition of Sarawak
Prof James Chin
KUCHING: Will United People’s Party (UPP) be accepted into Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), the ruling coalition in Sarawak after it is rebranded Party Sarawak Bersatu (PSB)?
Political analyst and university lecturer Prof James Chin is confident that the answer will be yes, eventually.
“Yes. It looks like the new three-fourth acceptance rule (Rule 3/4) is designed to take in all local-based parties, including UPP and (another former Barisan Nasiona friendly) Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras),” said Chin.
The fact of the matter is that UPP has five peoples’ elected representatives in president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh (Bawang Assan), deputy president Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (Mambong), vice president Datuk Ranum Mina (Opar), vice president Datuk Tiong Thai King (Dudong) and Youth chief Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa (Engkilili).
Chin believes Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg wants to ensure that all Sarawak-based parties come under GPS so that he can claim to be the only Sarawak champion.
“This is consistent with the GPS election strategy of painting Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak as “Malaya – controlled” and cannot be trusted,” said Chin.
“What you will end up with is probably very similar to the old BN set-up in that PBB will dominate like UMNO and also there will be multiple parties representing the Dayaks and Chinese but only one party – PBB – representing the Muslim community,” he explained.
Everybody on the street knows that PBB can actually rule on its own, Chin added, as it has enough number of state legislative assembly (DUN) members at 45 to control more than half the 82 seats in the Sarawak DUN.
“So it will be tricky for PBB to claim that it stands for multi-racial Sarawak when it can rule on its own.”
Chin said if the rebranded UPP is admitted, then the party and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) will have to share the Chinese-majority seats and that the easiest way is to give SUPP Lower Sarawak and Upper Sarawak while Rajang area will go to UPP.
GPS comprises PBB, SUPP, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progessive Democratic Party (PDP). Candidates from UPP – the former BN friendly party – had to use the BN direct ticket in the last state election to avoid breaching any election technical regulation.
Abang Johari, who is also Chief Minister, told reporters in Sibu on Monday that any new or other party will be accepted into the coalition if three out of the four existing components agree.
This is unlike the rule previously practised by BN where all components must agree to accept the new applicant, he said.
On Monday, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that GPS has been approved by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) as a registered party. GPS was set up on June 12, 2018 following the defeat of BN by PH in the May 9, 2018 general election.
Since the early 1970s, BN had ruled Malaysia at the federal level until the last general election when it only garnered 79 seats in the 222-seat Malaysian parliament.
When contacted yesterday SUPP president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian sidestepped the question of whether his party would accept the rebranded UPP into GPS when he said: “Consolidate further in GPS.”
“When moving forward we should unite and consolidate further even in GPS. We must learn from the mistakes in Sabah where it is split further and weaken everyone. We must also be aware of the divide and rule tactic. If we don’t lead by example how do you expect Sarawakians to be united,” said the Batu Kawah assemblyman and Minister of Local Government and Housing.