The newly elected president of Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) William Mawan Ikom is prepared to "to lock horns" with any BN party which opposes Teras' entry into the ruling coalition.

"Teras is prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure its survival and for that we are prepared to lock horns with Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) in the coming state election, if that is what we need to do," he said.

"What is it that you are not prepared to do, if that is the only way to survive? I am not prepared to die... no way man," he said at a media conference.

Mawan, who is the social development minister, was referring to the strong opposition from SPDP, Sarawak United people's Party (SUPP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) to Teras being admitted into BN.

Mawan and four SPDP elected representatives namely Peter Nansian (Tasik Biru), Sylvester Entri (Marudi), Paulus Gumbang (Batu Danau) and Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) resigned from SPDP and joined the newly formed Teras on May 15, 2014.

"As far as Teras is concerned, it is not only a BN-friendly, but it is in BN.

"We are in BN and we will always be, so no one can say we are BN-unfriendly and as of now we are fully entrenched in the cabinet," Mawan said, telling other BN parties that they should stop holding grudges against them.

"We are your friends and not your enemies. I would like to convey this message to our brothers, members or partners in BN that they should not be fearful of us. Very soon the people will adopt us as a BN party," he said.

He declared however that Teras is prepared to do whatever it takes for its survival.

"Teras is the offshoot of SPDP and you expect direct confrontation. That we can understand but you cannot stop us from doing our job, and if we can, whatever owned by SPDP, we want it to be taken by Teras," he said in obvious reference to the eight seats allocated to SPDP.

However, SPDP acting president Tiong King Sing declared that all the eight seats including the five seats (Tasik Biru, Pakan, Marudi, Bekenu and Batu Danau) would not be given to Teras under any circumstances.

CM is in a bind

Meanwhile PRS President James Masing said that Mawan's resignation from SPDP and joining Teras is creating for problems for Chief Minister Adenan Satem.

"They are BN elected representatives because they were nominated and elected as BN candidates, but Teras as a political organisation is not in BN.

"Their positions as ministers and assistant ministers are at the mercy of the chief minister.

"They are creating problems for the chief minister Adenan Satem," said Masing, who is a senior minister holding the land development portfolio.

Masing did not mention what type of problems Teras is creating for Adenan, but he must have referred to accommodating them in BN as PRS, SPDP and SUPP would strongly oppose it.

Leaders of the three parties have already signed an understanding through the 'merger of minds' that they were determined to object to Teras joining BN at whatever cost.

A SUPP leader said that Adenan's problem is that he would have to make a choice -  to admit Teras, he would not only incur the wrath of the leaders and party members of the three parties, but could also undermine the state political stability and unity, and this could be crucial as the state faces the coming state election.

But not to accept Teras would mean to ignore the five elected representatives, four of them are said to be “PBB men” planted earlier in SPDP and now in Teras, added the SUPP leader who did not wish to be identified.

He said the same thing would also apply to the admission of United People's Party (UPP) into BN. UPP was registered on July 14, 2014 and is headed by former SUPP deputy secretary- general Wong Soon Koh.

Wong and three other state assemblypersons had quit SUPP and formed the party whose  main objective is to replace SUPP in BN.