Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak

The Sarawak People's Aspiration Party (Malay: "Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak", abbreviated ASPIRASI) is a centre-left political party based in Sarawak, Malaysia, renamed and rebranded from their former organisation faction, State Reform Party abbreviated as STAR.^[3][4]

Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak Sarawak People's Aspiration Party
Abbreviation	ASPIRASI
President	Lina Soo
Chairman	Jane Anak Dripin
Founder	Patau Rubis
Founded	8 October 1996 (Sarawak) 6 January 2012 (Sabah) 24 January 2020 (renamed as ASPIRASI)
Legalised	26 January 2020 (Legalised as ASPIRASI)
Preceded by	State Reform Party (STAR)
Succeeded by	Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR) (in Sabah since 2016 and minor branch in Kuala Lumpur under Jeffrey Kitingan faction in 2020)[1][2]
Headquarters	262, Jalan Batu Kawa, 93500 Kuching, Sarawak
Ideology	• Regionalism • Multiracialism • MA63 rights • Self-determination • Anti-Peninsula based parties
Political position	Centre-left
Slogan	Parti Adup Ta (Bidayuh: Our own party)
Dewan Negara:	0 / 70
Dewan Rakyat:	0 / 31 (Sarawak seats)
Sarawak State Legislative Assembly:	0 / 82
Premier of Sarawak:	0 / 1
Website
Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak on Facebook Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak on Facebook
Politics of Malaysia Political parties Elections

Background and party establishment history

• Logos and Flags of Party
• 
  State Reform Party original logo (1996-2020)

The party began as the State Reform Party (STAR) in the 1990s founded by Patau Rubis, using a 9-pointed star derived from the state flag as its logo. The party contested in the 2016 state elections under the STAR logo, failing to win a single seat.

The State Reform Party's policy will ensure the party always struggle as a significant pressure group on demanding recognition of Sarawak rights together with many other non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The Party demands that the Government of Sarawak have to reform the state government system and go out from the available comfort zone.^[5][6] As a pro-Sarawakian independence party, it aims to table Sarawak Independence Referendum Ordinance in event it won seat in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.^[7]

The party leadership history

Patau Rubis is the first ASPIRASI president, on that time also known as STAR Party or State Reform Party (before rebranded). He died in 2016, after collapsed while presiding the STAR Sarawak's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 20 March and was replaced by Lina Soo.^[8][9] Beside the President Lina Soo, the party AGM later had also elected a new committee including Bulin anak Ribos as chairman on 12 October 2017.^[10] After the leadership changed to Lina Soo faction, they agreed to rebranding STAR as ASPIRASI including the logo to avoid people confusion with the STAR Sabah organisation in July 28, 2020.^[11][12]

The party expansion and separation history

In 2012, STAR also expanded to neighbouring Sabah with setting of the state chapter led by Jeffrey Kitingan,^[13] who had also initiated the United Borneo Alliance (UBA),^[14] in its effort to switch to a Borneo-based regional party uniting all local parties in Sabah and Sarawak to promote jointly the 7 Borneo Agendas.^[15]

In 2016 Kitingan re-registered the Sabah chapter as a new Sabah-based party, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) but retained the backronym STAR, leaving the original State Reform Party back as Sarawak-based.^[16][17] In 2016 STAR Sabah rebranded itself as the Homeland Solidarity Party (with acronym STAR) and STAR Sarawak rebranded itself as the Sarawak People's Aspiration Party (with acronym ASPIRASI).^[18][19]

Rebranding as ASPIRASI

The party rebranded as Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak or ASPIRASI in February 2020^[20] and unveiled a new logo based on Rajah Brooke's birdwing butterfly in December 2021,^[21] a week before the 2021 Sarawak state election.

• Basis of ASPIRASI symbol
• 
  The Rajah Brooke Birdwing

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List of presidents

• Patau Rubis (1996-2016)
• Lina Soo (2016–present)

Candidates in the Sarawak state elections

• State Reform Party candidates, 2016 Sarawak state election

General election results

Election	Total seats won	Seats contested	Total votes	Voting Percentage	Outcome of election	Election leader
1999 (STAR)	0 / 193	23	23,354	0.35%	; No representation in Parliament	Patau Rubis
2004 (STAR)	0 / 219	23	6,270	0.09%	; No representation in Parliament	Patau Rubis
2013 (STAR)	0 / 222	22	45,386	0.41%	; No representation in Parliament	Patau Rubis
2018 (STAR Sarawak)	0 / 222	19	1,299	0.01%	; No representation in Parliament	Lina Soo
2022	0 / 222	9	1,299	0.01%	; No representation in Parliament	Lina Soo

State election results

State election	State Legislative Assembly
	Sabah	Sarawak	Total won / Total contested
2/3 majority	2 / 3	2 / 3	2 / 3
2001		0 / 62	0 / 5
2013	1 / 60		1 / 49
2016		0 / 82	0 / 11
2018	0 / 60		0 / 2
2021		0 / 82	0 / 15