Should the worst-case scenario the deregistration of Sarawak National Party (Snap) become a reality, the party's six state assembly representatives and four Members of Parliament will be left in limbo.

While other Barisan Nasional component parties in Sarawak may be in a position to offer shelter, the question of accepting those affected is likely to be a thorny one.

Embattled Snap president James Wong Kim Min appears to have toned down efforts a little in recent days, to save the party from being axed by the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

The rival faction, headed by the 'newly elected' president William Mawan, has also ruled out the possibility of a meeting to discuss the show-cause letter from the ROS.

Sarawak Chief Minister and state BN chief Abdul Taib Mahmud said initially that Snap leaders should not despair over the show-cause letter as "it is not the end of the world".

However, many observers feel that if the rival faction does not say or do anything positive within the stipulated one-month period, which ends on Oct 13, the party faces certain deregistration.

New party?

One observer said the 10 elected representatives are likely to "float around" for a while, to "park themselves temporarily somewhere within BN".

In other words, they could well join Barisan Nasional component parties Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Sarawak (PBB), Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak.

This may be until Snap leaders decide on a solution to the party's predicament, which could include the setting up of a new party, as Mawan has indicated recently.

However, it is not clear whether the 10 will join the same party en bloc or if they will, for convenience, be distributed among all the BN component parties in the state.

Observers feel that most of the 10 will go to Abdul Taib's PBB and PBDS. However, Taib probably will not accept the whole lot into his party's fold even if they agreed to join.

Speculation rife

To open its doors to all 10 would upset the racial equilibrium in PBB as well as cement suspicions that the Snap crisis was engineered to benefit one party.

Among those tipped to join PBB are state assembly representative for Ba'Kelalan and state Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Development and Communications Dr Judson Sakai Tagal, and state assembly representative for Tasik Biru and state Housing and Development Commission chief Peter Nansian.

Another possible entrant into PBB could be Baram MP and former senior agricultural officer Jacob Sagan.

Mawan, Assistant Minister of Tourism Peter Nyarok, federal Deputy Minister of National Unity and Social Development Dr Tiki Lafe, Saratok MP Peter Tinggom and state assembly representative for Marudi Sylvester Entrie are expected to 'park' themselves in PBDS.

Several of the party's top leaders, including president Leo Moggie and his deputy Daniel Tajem, were once Snap members.

'Independent' Wong

The controversial MP for Bintulu, Tiong King Sing whose sacking sparked off the Snap crisis may find his way to PBDS. The party already has a Chinese elected representative, 22-year-old Larry Sng, in the state assembly.

Sng is the son PBDS senior vice-president and former MP and state assembly representative for Pelagus, Sng Chee Hua.

It is unlikely that Tiong will go to SUPP as it is public knowledge that his political views differ from those of several top SUPP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister and party president Dr George Chan.

The odd-man out in the Snap 10 is Richard Wong, the party president's son, who took over the Limbang state seat from his father in last year's state election.

If left without shelter, the younger Wong will become an independent. The senior Wong himself started as an independent before joining Snap in the 1960s.

In a related development, PBDS secretary-general Stanley Ajang told malaysiakini that "if it is the wish of the chief minister that some of the YBs should join PBDS, we will welcome them".