SARAWAK Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg gave his strongest hint yet that the United People’s Party (UPP) – which also “rebranded” itself today at an extraordinary delegates conference in Kuching – would be accepted as a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition member. 

UPP, formed by political rebels from the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), has changed its name to Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and ditched its Olympics-like three-ring logo for that of a rising sun out of the horizon of Sarawak.

While Abang Johari was coy when questioned about the details, the president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) – the lead party in the four-party coalition – had earlier in his address to open the EDC said PSB had “passed the examination”.

He then chuckled saying he was again “pre-empting” things.

A tweak in the Barisan Nasional-era admission rules should see PSB get through the final admission hurdle this time.

Under the BN rule, a consensus from all member parties is required – a rule that effectively blocked PSB (when they were still UPP) from becoming a BN member by SUPP’s one single nay vote.

Abang Johari told reporters that for admission into GPS, the party applying needed only three quarters of the total vote from member parties.

This means that PSB could gain membership with the support of PBB, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) as SUPP is again widely expected to vote against the membership.

PSB decided on the makeover at its second triennial delegates conference in Sibu on July 7.

Party president Wong Soon Koh in his opening address said the rebranding exercise was to make “ourselves appear more multiracial in our outlook and image”.

Wong said despite changes in the name, logo and certain clauses of the party’s constitution, “we will not change the characteristic of our party being multiracial”.

“We will always make the multiracial principle our party’s strength.

“We will have the courage and political will to reject communalism or racism in any form. 

“We will always condemn extremism, radicalism and even chauvinism or parochialism.” – December 8, 2018.