KUCHING – Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has begun coordinating preparations across its component parties ahead of the 13th Sarawak State Election (PRN-13), with a focus on ensuring its election machinery is ready to operate when the polls are called.
The preparations were discussed during a GPS PRN-13 coordination meeting chaired by Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas at the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters in Kuching on November 3, 2026.
Uggah, who also serves as GPS Election Operations Director, said advance planning was a routine part of the coalition’s preparations for every election. He stressed the importance of ensuring that the various operational divisions were organised and able to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
According to Uggah, the preparations involve all four GPS component parties, with attention given to several key areas, including secretariat operations, publicity, communications and overall management.
He said the coalition was maintaining its established approach to election planning to ensure that its machinery could function in a coordinated manner once the election period begins.
“This is a routine operation. For every election, we make preparations across all aspects – including the secretariat, publicity, communications, and management – so that when the time comes, we are fully prepared for the upcoming election,” he said.
Uggah added that the meeting did not identify any major issues requiring immediate attention, noting that GPS had accumulated experience from previous election campaigns and already had operational plans in place.
He said the coalition intended to continue using its established strategies while seeking to improve its performance in the next state election.
“We are all experienced and already have a plan in place. Therefore, we will follow our existing strategy – one that has previously led us to successful victories. This time, we aim to achieve an even better win,” he said.
The meeting brought together senior representatives from the coalition’s component parties, reflecting the involvement of its leadership in coordinating preparations across the political organisation.
Among those present were Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Dato Sri John Sikie Tayai and Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) deputy president Dato Sri Dr Richard Riot Jaem.
Other attendees included Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) deputy president Dato Henry Harry Jinep, GPS Women’s Wing chief Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah and PRS deputy president Datuk Majang Renggi.
PBB was also represented by its vice-president Dato Haji Ibrahim Baki, while SUPP secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew and PRS secretary-general Datuk Dr Malcolm Mussen Lamoh attended the meeting.
The Premier of Sarawak’s Chief Political Secretary, Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman, was also present. The coordination exercise comes as GPS continues its internal preparations for the next state election, although no specific polling date or additional election timetable was announced during the meeting.
The coalition’s preparations cover both administrative and communications functions, which are essential to managing election operations involving multiple component parties and their respective organisational structures.
Uggah’s remarks indicate that GPS intends to rely on its existing operational framework while reviewing the arrangements needed to maintain coordination across its election machinery. The coalition has stated that its objective is to improve its performance when Sarawak next goes to the polls. — Sarawak Daily
