Former Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) deputy secretary-general and local government and community development minister Wong Soon Koh announced this afternoon that he and three other state assemblypersons have formed a new party - the United People's Party (UPP).

The party was registered on July 14, 2014, and the three assemblypersons who teamed up with Wong are Jerip Susil (Bengoh), Ranum Mina (Opar) and Johnichal Rayong (Engkilili).

On May 15, 2014, Wong ( left ) and the three elected representatives announced that they were joining Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras).

However, due to pressure from their supporters, the four of them pulled out from Teras and formed UPP - which adopted the name their old party without the word 'Sarawak'.

In announcing UPP, Wong, who was also the former chairperson of the SUPP Sibu branch, said: “We speak for all those who have been sacked from SUPP or marginalised within SUPP.

“As a result, we were denied the opportunity to serve the people from the base of a political party. We initially had intended to work with the group of (former) Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) assemblpersons under the leadership of William Mawan, through their new party, Teras.

“However, after much consultation and getting feedback from our people on the ground, we have come to the conclusion that it would be better for the former SUPP and SPDP assemblypersons to work in close partnership but to move forward on separate platforms.”

‘We will provide a more meaningful leadership’

By moving forward on separate platforms, Wong said, they would provide a more meaningful and constructive leadership to the people they serve in the multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural context.

He said UPP would place greater emphasis on the Chinese community, while Teras would focus on the Dayak community, in keeping with the footsteps of their former parties.

He pointed out that UPP is a new beginning for BN supporters who have lost their faith in SUPP.

UPP is the new beginning for the Chinese community who long for a fresh start, and the opportunity for the Chinese community to once again gain meaningful representation in the government.

“UPP is a chance for the youth to come forward and be the leaders of tomorrow,” he stressed. “In short, UPP is a new beginning.”

Wong said UPP followers had pledged their total loyalty and full support for the BN leadership under Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Chief Minister Adenan Satem.

They would engage fully in the collective responsibility of the BN family to rally support from the people, particularly members of the Chinese community, for the BN government.