United Sabah People's Party | |
|---|---|
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| Malay name | Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah |
| Abbreviation | PBRS |
| President | Arthur Joseph Kurup |
| Secretary-General | Richard Kastum |
| Spokesperson | Rayner Francis Udong |
| Deputy President | Richard Kastum |
| Youth Leader | Edwin Laimin |
| Vice President | Motusin Matius Bowie Nomrin Rosnie Manain Vincen Lee Zhamriee Gilam Rasul Fung Hon Yi Jessel CP Yansalang Zainon Kayum |
| Founder | Joseph Kurup |
| Founded | 3 March 1994[1] |
| Legalised | 11 March 1994 |
| Split from | United Sabah Party (PBS) |
| Headquarters | Blok B, Lot 19, Tingkat Dua, Lorong Singgah Mata 2, Asia City, 88000Kota Kinabalu,Sabah |
| Youth wing | Youth Section |
| Women's wing | Women Section |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| National affiliation | Barisan Nasional(1994–2018), (since 2020) United Alliance(2018–2020) |
| Colours | Yellow |
| Dewan Negara: | 0 / 70 |
| Dewan Rakyat: | 1 / 26 (Sabah and Labuan seats) |
| Sabah State Legislative Assembly: | 1 / 79 |
| Website | |
| Facebook PBRS | |
TheUnited Sabah People's Party (Malay:Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah;PBRS) is aSabah-basedpolitical party inMalaysia. The party was founded in 1994 as a splinter of theUnited Sabah Party (PBS) byJoseph Kurup, leading the party from its foundation to 2023. PBRS had been a component party ofBarisan Nasional (BN) since its founding, except for a brief period between 2018 and 2020. Presently, the party is led by the founder's son,Arthur Joseph Kurup.
The party was formed on 11 March 1994 by founding presidentJoseph Kurup who had led disaffected members of theUnited Sabah Party (PBS). On 10 June 1994, PBRS was officially accepted as one of the component parties in the rulingBarisan Nasional (BN) coalition.[2]
Following the2018 general election that saw the collapse of the BN ruling coalition, PBRS president Joseph Kurup declared the party's intention to quit BN as a component. The decision was announced to the public after receiving approval from the party's Supreme Council on 12 May 2018.[3][4][5] In the aftermath, PBRS applied to become a component of the new rulingPakatan Harapan (PH) coalition under the pretext of ensuring the fulfillment of its election promises. However, the application was ignored, followed by a statement from then Sabah PH chiefChristina Liew that PBRS had a 'very slim chance' to join the coalition. Faced with rejection, PBRS decided to remain with BN before forming a new coalition with other Sabah-based parties known as theUnited Alliance of Sabah (Gabungan Bersatu Sabah, GBS).[6][7][8]
In the wake of the2020–2022 Malaysian political crisis that resulted in the collapse of the PH federal government, PBRS attended the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting on 12 May 2020 after a 2-year lapse, deciding to rejoin the coalition whose components at the time were left with UMNO, MCA and MIC. Barisan Nasional had decided to declare support for the newPerikatan Nasional (PN) federal government led byPrime MinisterMuhyiddin Yassin.[9] PBRS Deputy President and sole party MP,Arthur Joseph Kurup, was appointed as theDeputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Economic Affairs in the BN-supportedMuhyiddin cabinet.[10] BN secretary-generalAnnuar Musa declared that, as the coalition Supreme Council meeting was attended by PBRS president Joseph Kurup himself, it implicates the return of PBRS as a BN component party.[11] On 9 January 2021, Arthur Joseph Kurup signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set-upGabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), a Sabah-based political alliance which contested and won the2020 Sabah state election, forming thestate government underHajiji Noor.[12][13] On 7 January 2023, Joseph Kurup stepped down as the 1st PBRS president and became the Honorary Chairman of PBRS after helming the party for 29 years from its formation in 1994 to 2023. Party deputy president and his son, Arthur Joseph Kurup, succeeded him as the 2nd party president.[14]
| No. | Name | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Kurup | 3 March 1994 | 7 January 2023 |
| 2 | Arthur Joseph Kurup | 7 January 2023 | Incumbent |
PBRS currently has only one member in theHouse of Representatives.
| State | No. | Parliament Constituency | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sabah | P182 | Pensiangan | Arthur Joseph Kurup | PBRS | ||
| Total | Sabah (1) | |||||
Sabah State Legislative Assembly
| State | No. | State Constituency | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabah | N45 | Sook | Arthur Joseph Kurup | PBRS | ||
| Total | Sabah (1) | |||||
| Portfolio | Office Bearer | Constituency |
|---|---|---|
| Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability | Arthur Joseph Kurup | Pensiangan |
Note:bold as Premier/Chief Minister,italic as junior partner
| Election | Total seats won | Seats contested | Total votes | Voting Percentage | Outcome of election | Election leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0 / 192 | 1 |  ;No representation in Parliament(Barisan Nasional) | Joseph Kurup | ||
| 1999 | 0 / 193 | 1 | ;No representation in Parliament(Barisan Nasional) | Joseph Kurup | ||
| 2004 | 1 / 219 | 1 | 5,880 | 0.08% |  1 seat;Governing coalition(Barisan Nasional) | Joseph Kurup |
| 2008 | 1 / 222 | 1 | 0 | 0,00% | ;Governing coalition(Barisan Nasional) | Joseph Kurup |
| 2013 | 1 / 222 | 1 | 9,467 | 0.09% | ;Governing coalition(Barisan Nasional) | Joseph Kurup |
| 2018 | 1 / 222 | 1 | 11,783 | 0.10% | ;Opposition coalition, laterGoverning coalition(Barisan Nasional) | Arthur Joseph Kurup |
| 2022 | 1 / 222 | 2 (Pensiangan-Barisan Nasional; Ranau-PBRS) | 23,877 | 0.15% | ;Governing coalition(Barisan Nasional) | Arthur Joseph Kurup |
| State election | State Legislative Assembly | |
|---|---|---|
| Sabah State Legislative Assembly | Total won / Total contested | |
| 2/3 majority | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 |
| 1999 | 0 / 48 | 0 / 2 |
| 2004 | 1 / 60 | 1 / 1 |
| 2008 | 1 / 60 | 1 / 1 |
| 2013 | 1 / 60 | 1 / 1 |
| 2018 | 1 / 60 | 1 / 1 |
| 2020 | 0 / 73 | 0 / 4 |
| 2025 | 1 / 73 | 1 / 2 |
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