The leaders of a new party which is intended to replace the defunct Sarawak National Party (Snap) expect the approval from the Registrar of Societies (ROS) within two weeks' time.

They submitted their application on Tuesday, immediately after the ROS announced its decision in Kuala Lumpur to de-register Snap for serious breaches of the Societies Act and failing to resolve its leadership crisis.

The proposed name for the new party is Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

William Mawan (photo, left), state minister of public health and environment and leader of the faction controlling all but one of the now-defunct Snap's elected representatives, told reporters this afternoon his group's hopes were greatly buoyed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's statement today that it would be better to rehabilitate Snap through a new party.

This appears to be in line with the plan by the Mawan group to get their new party registered as quickly as possible and to apply to join the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Mahathir's statement implies that the other faction led by ex-Snap president James Wong Kim Min has little chance now of reviving the defunct party through an appeal against ROS' Ismail Dolah Harun's Tuesday bombshell announcement.

If the Mawan group can get their new party officially registered soon, there will probably no need for them even to apply to join any of the existing three parties in the state BN coalition Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS).

Aligned to the Mawan faction are five state assemblymen, including Mawan himself, and two assistant state ministers Dr Jakson Sakai Tagal, a Lun Bawang, and Peter Nyarok, an Iban and four members of parliament, including deputy federal minister Dr Tiki Lafe.

The odd man out is the state representative for Limbang, Richard Wong, who is senior vice-president of the defunct party and Wong's eldest son.

Futile effort

After the state Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting yesterday morning, Mawan indicated to reporters it might not be possible for all the nine elected representatives to be 'parked temporarily' as one group in a single party.

But he said he expected that most of them might possibly be with PBB, with perhaps one or two going to SUPP and PBDS.

According to political observers, if the SPDP is registered within two weeks, it may not be necessary for the stranded politicians to join any of the existing parties unless they choose to do so.

After meeting Chief Minister and state BN chief Abdul Taib Mahmud this afternoon, Mawan told journalists he hoped the Wong faction would see the futility of their action in seeking to appeal against the ROS' decision either to the home minister or the court.

Mawan urged them not to proceed with their plan.

Meanwhile, Wong who was yesterday reported to be seeking to meet Mahathir and his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was today unable to make an appointment to see the two top BN leaders.

He refused to take calls from the media this afternoon to get his reaction to Mahathir's latest comments.

But Justin Jinggut, the secretary-general of the de-registered Snap and the man in the heart of the Snap controversy, said when contacted his group would appeal regardless of the prime minister's statement.

Meanwhile, according to English-language daily Sarawak Tribune today, the Registrar of Societies office had written to the Official Assignment concerning the winding-up of the affairs of the de-registered Snap.

The party owns two units of three-storey shophouses which has served as its party headquarters in Rubber Road, Kuching.