By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 17: Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) has dismissed claims that it is a Sarawak-based party encroaching into Sabah, clarifying that the party was originally founded in Sabah before undergoing rebranding under Sarawakian leadership.
According to a report by the Daily Express Malaysia, PBM secretary-general Munan Laja said the party, which is multiracial and inclusive, traces its roots back to the 1980s in Sabah. He stressed that PBM is not an outsider in Sabah.
“Some have asked us, ‘Why is a Sarawak party coming to Sabah?’ The truth is, PBM originated in Sabah. We’re simply returning home,” he said during the launch of PBM’s Jelajah Sabah programme in Sandakan on Sunday (June 15).
Munan added that PBM, which now positions itself as a national, reform-oriented party, will contest independently in the upcoming state election.
“We are going solo — unless a new development emerges. But as of now, we’re standing on our own,” he said.
The event, held at a hotel in Bandar Letat, also saw the official launch of PBM’s Tanjung Papat division, which has attracted more than 1,300 members in just one month. Munan confirmed that PBM will field a candidate in the constituency.
He also condemned corruption in electoral processes, urging Sabahans to reject vote-buying and support clean, principled leadership.
“If elections are decided by money politics, PBM has no future. But if Sabahans want integrity and clean governance, then we are their party.
“Take the money if they offer it — but don’t give them your vote,” he said.
Munan further called on voters to break away from entrenched voting patterns that have left Sabah plagued by poor infrastructure, unreliable utilities, and persistent income inequality despite its wealth of natural resources.
“If we don’t change, we will remain poor, sidelined, and forgotten,” he warned.
Meanwhile, Sabah PBM chairman Jupperi Lenson challenged the perceived double standards surrounding PBM’s presence in the state. He questioned why PBM’s legitimacy was being challenged while other Sarawak-based parties like STAR were accepted without issue.
“If STAR can come here and contest, why can’t PBM — a party that was actually born in Sabah?” he said.
Jupperi noted that PBM has been actively preparing for the state election since 2022 and is now present in seven constituencies, including Tanjung Papat, Bandau, Kota Belud, Tuaran, Tulid, and Kundasang. He said the party has tailored its inclusive political model to Sabah’s diverse population.
“PBM is a national party. So whether it is local or not should not be the issue. What matters is the quality of leadership and an agenda that includes everyone,” he said.
PBM is currently led by Julau MP Larry Sng Wei Shien. The party traces its origins to the Sarawak Workers Party (SWP), which was formed in 2012 as a splinter group from Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS). SWP was established by former PRS members, led by Larry’s father, Sng Chee Hua, who had earlier taken over the Sabah People’s Front (SPF) and rebranded it as SWP.
The senior Sng later retired and passed the party’s presidency to Larry in 2013. However, Larry resigned from SWP in April 2016 after failing to secure acceptance into the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
During Larry’s absence, SWP came under the leadership of Engga Unchat and became part of Gabungan Anak Sarawak (GASAK), a coalition formed with Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (ASPIRASI) and the New Sarawak Native People’s Party (PBDSB).
After spending five years as an independent and a member of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Larry rejoined SWP in November 2021 as deputy president. He then announced the party’s rebranding to PBM, following approval by the Registrar of Societies on Oct 14, 2021. — DayakDaily
