United Sabah People's Party

Not to be confused with Sabah People's Unity Party or Sabah People's United Front.

"PBRS" redirects here. For the singular of PBRs, see PBR (disambiguation).

United Sabah People's Party
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, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Youth wing	Youth Section
Women's wing	Women Section
Ideology	Sabah regionalism 20-point agreement Multiracialism Indigenous rights Social conservatism Kadazan-Dusun interests
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
Politics of Malaysia Political parties Elections

The United Sabah People's Party (Malay : Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah; PBRS) is a Sabah-based political party in Malaysia. The party was founded in 1994 as a splinter of the United Sabah Party (PBS) by Joseph Kurup, leading the party from its foundation to 2023. PBRS had been a component party of Barisan 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.

History

The party was formed on 11 March 1994 by founding president Joseph Kurup who had led disaffected members of the United Sabah Party (PBS). On 10 June 1994, PBRS was officially accepted as one of the component parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. ^[2]

Following the 2018 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 ruling Pakatan 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 chief Christina 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 the United Alliance of Sabah (Gabungan Bersatu Sabah, GBS). ^{[6] [7] [8]}

In the wake of the 2020–2022 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 new Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. ^[9] PBRS Deputy President and sole party MP, Arthur Joseph Kurup, was appointed as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Economic Affairs in the BN-supported Muhyiddin cabinet. ^[10] BN secretary-general Annuar 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-up Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), a Sabah-based political alliance which contested and won the 2020 Sabah state election, forming the state government under Hajiji 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]

Leadership

President

1st: Joseph Kurup, founding President (1994–2023)

2nd: Arthur Joseph Kurup, the second President (since 2023)

No.	Name	Term of office
1	Joseph Kurup	3 March 1994	7 January 2023
2	Arthur Joseph Kurup	7 January 2023	Incumbent

Elected representatives

Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives)

Members of Parliament of the 15th Malaysian Parliament

Main article: Members of the Dewan Rakyat, 15th Malaysian Parliament

PBRS currently has only one member in the House of Representatives.

State	No.	Parliament Constituency	Member	Party
Sabah	P182	Pensiangan	Arthur Joseph Kurup		PBRS
Total	Sabah (1)

Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly)

Malaysian State Assembly Representatives

Main article: List of Malaysian State Assembly Representatives (2022–present)

Sabah State Legislative Assembly

1 / 79

State	No.	State Constituency	Member	Party
Sabah	N45	Sook	Arthur Joseph Kurup		PBRS
Total	Sabah (1)

Government offices

Ministerial posts

Portfolio	Office Bearer	Constituency
Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability	Arthur Joseph Kurup	Pensiangan

State government

• Sabah (1994–1999, 2004–2018, 2025–present)

Note: bold as Premier/Chief Minister, italic as junior partner

Election results

General election results

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, later Governing 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 results

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

References

1. "Kronologi Penubuhan PBRS". Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
2. James Chin. "The Sabah State Election of 1994: End of Kadazan Unity - Vol. 34, No. 10 (Oct., 1994), pp. 904-915". University of California Press. JSTOR   2644969.
3. Durie Rainer Fong (12 May 2018). "Now, PBRS leaves Sabah BN". Free Malaysia Today . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
4. "PBRS is third party to leave Sabah BN". Malaysiakini. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
5. "PBRS wants to work with Warisan". The Borneo Post. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
6. "PBRS will remain with BN for now, says Kurup". Free Malaysia Today . Retrieved 11 October 2018.
7. Stephanie Leeh (3 October 2018). "PBRS goes back to Sabah Barisan after being rejected by Pakatan". The Star . Retrieved 3 October 2018.
8. Kristy Inus (12 May 2018). "Sabah BN coalition to be disbanded to pave way for Gabungan Bersatu". New Straits Times . Retrieved 12 May 2018.
9. "BN declares undivided support for Muhyiddin but wants time for PN proposal". Malaysiakini. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
10. "Six Sabah MPs included in new Federal Cabinet line-up". The Borneo Post. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
11. "BN declares undivided support for Muhyiddin but wants time for PN proposal" (in Malay). Harian Metro. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
12. "Malaysian PM Muhyiddin forms Gabungan Rakyat Sabah alliance to take on Sabah polls". The Straits Times . 12 September 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
13. "GRS Signs MOU To Continue Cooperation Reject Outside Interference". The Borneo Post. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
14. "Joseph Kurup steps down as PBRS president, his son Arthur takes over". The Star. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.

External links

• Facebook PBRS
• Blog PBRS