Sabah People's United Front

Sabah People's United Front or in Malay Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah is more commonly known by its abbreviation BERJAYA, was a political party based in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. BERJAYA was formed by former United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) secretary-general Harris Salleh who was later joined by Fuad Stephens, who served as the first Chief Minister of Sabah as well as president of the United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Organisation (UPKO). Stephens became the fifth Chief Minister after BERJAYA won the 1976 state election in April but died in June the same year, being succeeded by Salleh.[1][2] The party had been a partner of Barisan Nasional (BN), the then ruling coalition of Malaysia since its inception on 15 July 1975.[3]

Sabah People's United Front
Malay nameParti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah
ڤرتي برساتو رعيت جلتا سابه
Chinese name沙巴人民聯合陣綫
沙巴人民联合阵线
Shābā rénmín liánhé zhènxiàn
AbbreviationBERJAYA
LeaderHarris Salleh
Founded15 July 1975
Dissolved1991
Split fromUSNO
Merged intoUMNO Sabah
HeadquartersSinsuran Complex
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
National affiliationBarisan Nasional (1976-1986)
Party flag

BERJAYA governed the state of Sabah for 8 years from 1976 to 1985 after it managed to win the 1976 state election and oust USNO,[4] Fuad was installed as Sabah's fifth Chief Minister, his second time holding the post. He replaced Mohammad Said Keruak of USNO. However, barely 44 days after becoming Chief Minister, Fuad died in a plane crash in Kota Kinabalu on 6 June 1976, known as the Double Six Tragedy. Along with him, several other state ministers also perished. Harris then took over his post, becoming the sixth Chief Minister of Sabah.

In the 1981 state election, BERJAYA again won, this time with an overwhelming majority. They won 44 out of 48 seats contested.[5] In 1984, party member Joseph Pairin Kitingan left the party to form Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). This newly formed party defeated BERJAYA in the 1985 state election.[6]

In the 1990 state election, BERJAYA's support has evidently dwindled as they failed to win a single seat in the election and it was ousted by United Sabah Party (PBS).[7] The party then effected a merger with USNO to form the Sabah chapter of the Peninsular-based United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). USNO's president Tun Mustapha Harun became Sabah UMNO's first president, while Harris became an adviser to the party.[8]

History

On 23 April 1975, Mustapha Harun, chief minister of Sabah from the USNO party, announced a memorandum named "The Future Position of Sabah in Malaysia" where he argued that Sabah would be economically better if Sabah exists as an independent country.[9] Malaysia's federal government decided to sponsor the formation of a new party named BERJAYA with Harris Salleh, former dissident vice-president of USNO as its founder.[9][10] The federal government also persuaded Fuad Stephens, the governor of Sabah at that time, to resign from the governorship and join Harris in fighting against USNO. Both BERJAYA and USNO were within the Barisan Nasional (BN) governing coalition at the federal level but BERJAYA became the opposition at the state level, opposing USNO. The rivalry of the two parties ended in 1976 Sabah state election when BERJAYA emerged victorious against USNO.[9]

Election results

Election year Malaysia Parliament Sabah State Assembly Outcome
Candidates Seats won Candidates Seats won
1976 - - 48
28 / 48
Increase28 seats; Sabah state government
1978 10
9 / 154
- - Increase9 seats; Federal governing coalition
(Barisan Nasional)
1981 - - 48
44 / 48
Increase16 seats; Sabah state government
(Barisan Nasional, contested under Berjaya ticket)
1982 11
10 / 154
- - Increase1 seat; Federal governing coalition
(Barisan Nasional)
1985 - - 48
6 / 48
Decrease38 seats; Sabah state opposition
(Barisan Nasional)
1986 - - 37
1 / 48
Decrease5 seats; Sabah state opposition
(Barisan Nasional)
Snap election
1986 9
0 / 177
- - Decrease10 seats; No representation in Parliament
1990 - - 48
0 / 48
Decrease1 seats; No representation in State Assembly

See also

  • Category:Sabah People's United Front politicians

References

  1. "UPKO/PDS". Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  2. "Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah". Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  3. Sin, Fong Han (April 1979). "A Constitutional Coup D'Etat: An Analysis of the Birth and Victory of the Berjaya Party in Sabah, Malaysia". Asian Survey. 19 (4): 379–389. doi:10.2307/2643858. JSTOR 2643858.
  4. Malaysia - Pilihan Raya - Pilihan Raya Umum Sabah ( 1976 )
  5. Malaysia - Pilihan Raya - Pilihan Raya Umum Sabah ( 1981 )
  6. Malaysia - Pilihan Raya - Pilihan Raya Umum Sabah ( 1985 )
  7. Malaysia - Pilihan Raya - Pilihan Raya Umum Sabah ( 1990 )
  8. "The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in Sabah, East Malaysia: An Overview 1990-1994 International" (PDF). Hamdan Aziz (Ph.D) & Syahrin Said, Department of Nationhood and Civilization Studies, Centre for Fundamental and Liberal Education, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT). Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Vol. 7, No. 12. 2017. ISSN 2222-6990. Retrieved 25 September 2021 via HR Mars.
  9. S. Hazis, Faisal (2018). "Domination, Contestation, and Accommodation: 54 Years of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia". Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University. doi:10.20495/seas.7.3_341. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. Chin, James (October 1994). "The Sabah State Election of 1994: End of Kadazan Unity". Asian Survey. 34 (10): 904–915. doi:10.2307/2644969. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
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