Sabah People's United Front

"Berjaya" redirects here. For other uses, see Berjaya (disambiguation).
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
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Race and politics

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]

BERJAYA governed the state of Sabah for 8 years from 1976 to 1985 after it won the 1976 state election and ousted 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, including Datuk Peter Joinod Mojuntin, who was the Minister of Local Government and Housing. 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]

  1. ^ "UPKO/PDS". Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah". Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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.