KUALA LUMPUR: Members of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) must ensure that all the people and voters in the state especially those in rural areas are familiar with and well aware of the coalition’s logo, according to a political analyst.
Associate Professor Dr Jeniri Amir said the official launch of GPS last Saturday was a significant and historic event for the coalition after Barisan Nasional (BN) indoctrinated the people in Sarawak for decades.
“The people were too used to the BN’s ideology, so it would be a big challenge for GPS to promote their new logo, which is the hornbill, so that it will be known by all the people across the state.
“It is important for GPS to have a solid and effective political marketing and communication strategy right now, especially in their bid to reach out to the voters and people in rural areas…this is indeed a huge challenge for GPS because Sarawak is such an extensive region,” he told Bernama here.
Last Saturday, Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, who is also the GPS chairman, officially launched the party at the Perpaduan Stadium in Petra Jaya.
The event was attended by approximately 8,000 members of the coalition’s four component parties, namely Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).
The application for registration of GPS was approved by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) on Nov 19 last year.
Hence, Jeniri, who is also the senior lecturer of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, said it was important for GPS to intensify efforts to introduce the party logo by the upcoming 12th state election.
“A small portion of the voters are illiterate, especially the elderly… so the party’s logo needs to be widely and comprehensively introduced and I think GPS has been doing an amazing job with the launch.
“I also understand that after the launch, GPS will also embark on roadshows throughout the states by focusing on an area by area, so this is a good move,” he added.
In fact, Jeniri also pointed out that GPS would face a new challenge and changes in the state’s political landscape following BN’s defeat at the federal level in the 14th General Election (GE14) last year, which also resulted in the formation of GPS. – Bernama
