GABUNGAN Parti Sarawak is aiming to register itself as a political entity on July 22.

The date is significant to Sarawakians as the day the state, a former British colony, gained independence from Britain.

The working committee on the registration of GPS, which met today, said the pro-tem committee of the new coalition of Sarawak-based parties had been agreed upon, with its proposed constitution “near completion”, and only the logo of the new coalition yet to be decided.

The eight-member committee will comprise the presidents of the four member parties – Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), whose president is Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg; Parti Rakyat Sarawak (James Masing), Sarawak United Peoples Party (Sim Hui Kian), and Progressive Democratic Party (Tiong King Sing) – and their respective secretary-generals.

Alexander Nanta Linggi from PBB, who is the former Sarawak Barisan Nasional secretary-general, chaired the meeting.

He said GPS would have a “Sarawak flavour”, in apparent reference to accusations that the new coalition would be nothing more than “old wine in a new bottle”.

Linggi, the former deputy minister of rural and regional development, said apart from fine-tuning the proposed constitution, the design of the logo was the only matter left to be completed.

The design will be opened to Sarawakians to decide in a competition that will end on July 10, with prize money for the winning design being RM10,000.

The pro-tem committee is slated to meet on July 12, two days after the closing of the logo design competition, to finalise the submission of registration to the Registrar of Societies.

Linggi said in the meantime, GPS would be writing to the Parliament speaker and to BN acting chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to officially inform them of the withdrawal of the four parties from BN.

Sarawak BN withdrew from the coalition on June 12, following the coalition’s ouster from power in the May 9 general election.

The new coalition has adopted a “Sarawak First” political approach, prioritising regaining rights agreed upon in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 that have been lost. – June 23, 2018.