KUCHING, Dec 8 — United People’s Party (UPP) today changed its name to Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) after delegates attending the extraordinary delegates conference (EDC) gave their unanimous support to amend its constitution.

PSB secretary-general George Lo said the name change will become official after the Registrar of Societies (RoS) has given its approval to the constitutional amendment involving the change of name from UPP to PSB.

"The constitution has been amended and passed unanimously. The next step is to submit the amendment to RoS for approval and it will be effective immediately upon approval by RoS,” he told reporters after the completion of the EDC.

"We are going to pursue this vigorously with RoS because it concerns a change of party name and logo and we would like this amendment approved on an urgent basis,” he said, adding that he and other party leaders will submit the amendment to RoS office here on Monday.

"Although technically and legally, the constitutional amendment does not take effect immediately until it has been approved by RoS, as provided for by the Societies Act; however, in the hearts and minds of the party members, we are no longer UPP, but PSB,” he said.

Lo said UPP has not applied to be a member of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), a coalition consisting of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

"We will cross the bridge when we come to it,” he said, refusing to elaborate further.

Despite not being a member of GPS (formerly Sarawak Barisan Nasional), UPP president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh and deputy president Datuk Dr Jerip Susil are members of the state administration.

UPP was formed by Wong and his supporters after they left SUPP in 2014 following a leadership tussle.

Meanwhile, Lo said the EDC pledged its full support to the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg who had a special relationship with UPP even before it was formed.

"When our party was in the process of being formed, Abang Johari, then the state tourism and housing minister, brought us to see then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and to help us get the approval for our new party.

"At our first triennial delegates’ conference on January 11, 2015, he was the guest of honour, though our party was not a member of the then-Barisan Nasional,” he said.

Lo said Abang Johari attended the opening of the UPP EDC when it decided to rebrand itself.