Sarawak United Peoples' Party

Sarawak United Peoples' Party
Malay name	Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak ڤرتي رعيت برساتو سراوق
Iban name	Gerempong Sa'ati Rayat Sarawak
Chinese name	砂拉越人民聯合黨 砂拉越人民联合党 Shālāyuè rénmín liánhé dǎng
Abbreviation	SUPP
President	Sim Kui Hian
Secretary-General	Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew
Deputy President	Richard Riot Jaem Lee Kim Shin
Chairman of Central Youth Section	Michael Tiang Ming Tee
Chairwoman of Central Women's Section	Kho Teck Wan
Founder	Ong Kee Hui Stephen Yong Kuet Tze
Founded	1959
Headquarters	7, Jalan Tan Sri Ong Kee Hui, 93300 Kuching, Sarawak
Newspaper	SA 'ATI (United)
Youth wing	SUPP Youth Section
Women's wing	SUPP Women's Section
Political position	Centre to centre-right
National affiliation	• Malaysian Solidarity Convention (1965) • Alliance (1970–73) • Barisan Nasional (1973–2018) • Gabungan Parti Sarawak (2018–now) (still active) • PH–BN unity alliance (2022–now) (as alliance partner)
Colours	Politics of Malaysia Political parties Elections

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The Sarawak United Peoples' Party, or SUPP (Chinese: 砂拉越人民联合党; Malay: Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak; Iban: Gerempong Sa'ati Rayat Sarawak) is a multiracial centre-right local political party of Malaysia based in Sarawak. The SUPP president is Dr. Sim Kui Hian. He succeeded the post from his predecessor, Peter Chin Fah Kui in 2014. Established in 1959, SUPP is the first political party in Sarawak. It has its roots in left-leaning ideologies, nationalism and championing for the cause of the working class.^{[citation needed]} Formerly it was one of the Sarawak component members of Barisan Nasional from 1970 until June 2018.^{[note 1]} Together with other Sarawak-based BN component parties, SUPP always has had tension in its relationship with its Peninsula-based partners.^[1] After the 2018 general election defeat of BN had proven that the model was no longer viable, and following a key meeting between all Sarawak-based BN coalition parties on 12 June 2018, SUPP has decided to leave BN to co-form a new Sarawak-based coalition of Gabungan Parti Sarawak.^[2]

History

Being the first local political party, Sarawak United Peoples' Party's origins are tied to Sarawak's history of 20th century political awakening. After World War II, the last Rajah of Sarawak, Charles Vyner Brooke ceded Sarawak to Britain in 1946, thus making it an official British Crown Colony – to the dismay of many locals. This eventually gave rise to local anti-cession and anti-imperialist movements which further sparked local political awareness. The triggering event was Sarawak's new Constitution of 1959 which fell short of expectations for many who hoped to see significant progress to self-governance. The need for an organised political front to champion Sarawakian interests finally led to the formation of SUPP on 4 June 1959, with Ong Kee Hui as its founding president.^[3] With a "Sarawak for Sarawakians" ideology – SUPP's movement gained widespread support, including winning big in the local elections of November 1959, alarming the then ruling British colonial government. When the proposal for Federation of Malaysia was first mooted in 1961, SUPP came out strongly to oppose the idea. Ong argued for Sarawak's independence before setting up a greater federation.^[3][4][5]

In December 1962, the British colonial government launched a crackdown on all dissenting groups in Sarawak. Many party members were detained, some even deported from Sarawak for alleged communist activities as, at the time, some members had links with Communist-affiliated organisations.^{[note 2]} Nonetheless, SUPP still did well at the Sarawak elections of June 1963 but it left one-seat-short of a majority to form government, thus it remained as the opposition party. On 22 July 1963, Sarawak gained independent self-governance from Britain. On 16 September, Sarawak together with the Federation of Malaya, Singapore and North Borneo (Sabah) jointly founded the Federation of Malaysia. In June 1965, the government launched “Operation Hammer” to counter prevailing communist threats.^[6] Party leaders vehemently protested when about 10,000 Sarawakians men, women and children were forced to resettle under curfew – surrounded by barb-wire fencing – including more than a hundred SUPP members. Party leaders initiated daily visits to the resettlement centres to monitor the welfare of the detainees, but later, even this was barred by the government.

In May 1969, due to 13 May riots in Peninsular Malaysia, an Emergency Proclamation was declared across the country, suspending an ongoing elections in Sarawak. When the Sarawak elections resumed in 1970, SUPP emerged as the single party with largest number of votes, but no party has control of majority seats to form a government. Considering that this crisis for a functioning government occurred at a time when, on one hand, a state of turmoil post-13 May was still present, while on the other hand, people were rounded-up and detained without trial – SUPP accepted the invitation to form a coalition government to stabilise the situation. In exchange, the government agreed to SUPP demand that party secretary-general Stephen Yong be appointed to the State Operations Committee (the security directorate) so that the party can influence counter-insurgency operations to look after the welfare of SUPP detainees including Chinese settlers, in the resettlement centres.^[7][8] In the ensuing years, SUPP generally had wide support at the polls even during the 2008 Malaysian general election where most of its allies suffered.^[9]

However, it is no stranger to major setbacks at the polls: In the 1996 Sarawak election, its then president, the late Wong Soon Kai was defeated and thereafter decided to retire from politics.^[10] A similar situation happened in 2011 Sarawak election when the then party president, George Chan Hong Nam was unseated. It also lost at the Sibu by-election of 2010. In the 2013 Malaysian general election, the party won only 1 out of 7 seats contested. Not long after, Wong Soon Koh, who was then the deputy secretary-general, left with his faction and eventually set up a separate splinter-party with a similar-sounding name, called United People's Party (UPP).^[11]

A positive turnaround was marked in the 2016 Sarawak election when SUPP, with current party president Sim Kui Hian at the helm, went on to win 7 seats out of 15 contested. After establishing new leadership line-up and reforms including amending the party constitution to limit the tenure of the president himself, the party placed renewed focus on the pursuit of more Sarawakian autonomous power and rights within Malaysia based on the unique contexts of the federation's formation, as originally outlined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Inter-Governmental Committee Report, and the Report of the Cobbold Commission.^{[12][13][14][15]}

Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) leadership structure

Elected representatives

Dewan Negara (Senate)

Senators

Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives)

Members of Parliament of the 15th Malaysian Parliament

SUPP only has 2 MP in the House of Representatives.

State	No.	Parliament Constituency	Member	Party
Sarawak	P199	Serian	Richard Riot Jaem		SUPP
Sarawak	P208	Sarikei	Huang Tiong Sii		SUPP
Total	Sarawak (2)

Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly)

Malaysian State Assembly Representatives

Sarawak State Legislative Assembly

State	No.	Parliamentary Constituency	No.	State Constituency	Member	Party
Sarawak	P192	Mas Gading	N1	Opar	Bily Sujang		SUPP
	P196	Stampin	N12	Kota Sentosa	Wilfred Yap Yau Sin		SUPP
			N13	Batu Kitang	Lo Khere Chiang		SUPP
			N14	Batu Kawah	Sim Kui Hian		SUPP
	P202	Sri Aman	N32	Simanggang	Francis Harden Hollis		SUPP
	P208	Sarikei	N45	Repok	Huang Tiong Sii		SUPP
			N46	Meradong	Ding Kuong Hiing		SUPP
	P211	Lanang	N51	Bukit Assek	Chieng Jin Ek		SUPP
	P212	Sibu	N54	Pelawan	Michael Tiang Ming Tee		SUPP
	P217	Bintulu	N68	Tanjong Batu	Johny Pang Leong Ming		SUPP
	P219	Miri	N73	Piasau	Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew		SUPP
			N74	Pujut	Adam Yii Siew Sang		SUPP
			N75	Senadin	Lee Kim Shin		SUPP
Total	Sarawak (13)

General election results

Election	Total seats won	Seats contested	Total votes	Share of votes	Outcome of election	Election leader
1964	3 / 159	12	Appointed by Council Negri		3 seats; Opposition	Ong Kee Hui
1969	5 / 144	12	71,293	2.97%	2 seats; Opposition, later Governing coalition (allied with Alliance Party)	Ong Kee Hui
1974	7 / 144	7	64,235		2 seats; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	Ong Kee Hui
1978	6 / 154	7	52,222		1 seat; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	Ong Kee Hui
1982	5 / 154	7	81,993		1 seat; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	Stephen Yong Kuet Tze
1986	4 / 177	7	93,018	1.96%	1 seat; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	Stephen Yong Kuet Tze
1990	4 / 180	7	102,687		; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	Wong Soon Kai
1995	7 / 192	7	116,403		3 seats; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	Wong Soon Kai
1999	7 / 193	7	129,356		; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	George Chan Hong Nam
2004	6 / 219	7	101,869	1.46%	1 seat; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	George Chan Hong Nam
2008	6 / 222	7	119,264	1.50%	; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	George Chan Hong Nam
2013	1 / 222	7	133,603	1.21%	5 seats; Governing coalition (Barisan Nasional)	Peter Chin Fah Kui
2018	1 / 222	7	122,540	1.01%	; Opposition coalition (Barisan Nasional), later Governing coalition (Gabungan Parti Sarawak)	Sim Kui Hian
2022	2 / 222	7	167,063	1.08%	1 seat; Governing coalition (Gabungan Parti Sarawak)	Sim Kui Hian

State election results

State election	State Legislative Assembly
	Sarawak	Total won / Total contested
2/3 majority	2 / 3
1969/1970	12 / 48	12 / 40
1974	12 / 48	12 / 15
1979	11 / 48	11 / 12
1983	11 / 48	11 / 12
1987	11 / 48	11 / 14
1991	16 / 56	16 / 17
1996	13 / 62	13 / 17
2001	16 / 62	16 / 17
2006	11 / 71	11 / 19
2011	6 / 71	6 / 19
2016	7 / 82	7 / 13
2021	13 / 82	13 / 18

See also

• List of political parties in Malaysia

Notes

References

Further reading

• Chin, James. (2011). Forced to the Periphery: Recent Chinese Politics in East Malaysia. Singapore: ISEAS.
• Chin, Ung Ho. (1997). Chinese Politics in Sarawak: a Study of the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP). New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN 983-56-0039-2.
• Ong, Kee Hui. (1998). Footprints in Sarawak: Memoirs of Tan Sri Datuk (Dr) Ong Kee Hui, 1914 to 1963. Kuching: Research and Resource Centre, SUPP. ISBN 983-99257-1-7 (hardcover) ISBN 983-99257-2-5 (paperback).
• Steinmayer, Otto. (2000). Review of Yong K.T.: "A Life Twice Lived: A Memoir" and Ong Kee Hui: "Footprints on Sarawak: Memoirs of Tan Sri Datuk (Dr) Ong Kee Hui, 1914 to 1963". Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. LXXII (Pt.1), 126–129.
• Yong, Stephen K.T. (1997). A Life Twice Lived: A Memoir. Kuching: S. Yong. ISBN 983-99457-0-X.

External links

• Official website