KOTA KINABALU: Parti Sedar Rakyat has formed a Sabah branch following its intention to expand nationwide.
The Sarawak-based party received the approval to go national from the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on Aug 7.
Its president, Datuk Othman Abdillah, said the party had conducted a branch formation meeting with members in Sabah on Sept 23 to register the state-level branch.
In the meeting, seven members were elected to form the protem state committee for Sabah led by Professor Dr Ariffin Willie Muhammad as chairman.
Also, in the committee is Bahri Bakri as deputy chairman while Julia Ongkili was elected the secretary. Four others are Bonepes Been (treasurer), Jasni Badali, Nurul Faizah Ariffin and Nilis Joseph.
"With the formation of the Sabah branch, Sedar aims to strengthen its presence and engage with the diverse communities in Sabah. We recognise the specific challenges and opportunities that Sabah presents, and our new branch will work tirelessly to address the needs and concerns of its people," Othman said in a statement.
He added that Sedar will champion its principal aim of manifesting the people's rights to receive direct financial dividends from the state's natural resources, especially oil and gas revenues.
This will be done through the implementation of its two core schemes namely the People's Basic Dividend (a fixed monthly dividend to all adult Sabahans) and People's Equity Rights funds which is a social wealth fund that will be owned by the state and the people, he said.
"We invite all the people of Sabah who share our values and aspirations to join Parti Sedar Rakyat. By joining us, you can actively participate in shaping the future of the Sabah people and our nation," said Othman.