Pressure is now mounting on the five elected representatives - three members of Parliament and two state assemblypersons - aligned to former Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) president Daniel Tajem to make up their mind quickly as to which of the component BN party they wish to join.

The five have also been told by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) that they should first consider joining their erstwhile rival faction leader Dr James Masing's newly-registered Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).

PBB, Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) are not going to admit them individually or as a group without any consultation among state BN component parties, Taib told reporters after chairing a PBB supreme council meeting yesterday.

Taib's reasoning is that he wants to help restore Dayak political unity and preserve the power balance structure in the state.

Malaysiakini learnt today that four of the five elected representatives met with Deputy Chief Minister and PBB deputy president Alfred Jabu and several other senior PBB leaders, including its secretary-general Ambrose Blikau, after the PBB council meeting.

The meeting at the initiative of PBB was to convey the party's stand on where the five should go. Julau MP Joseph Salang who is also deputy foreign minister did not attend the meeting as he is overseas.

Join en bloc

It is learnt that the five have made a decision they would only join a component party en bloc.

They have indicated a preference to join PBB which already has 30 out of the 62 state assembly seats. Joining the party would mean giving PBB a simple majority and it could rule even without the support of the other parties.

Speculation is that PBB may end up with three of the Tajem group's elected reps and the names mentioned are Belaga state assemblyperson Stanley Ajang, Ngemah state assemblyperson Gabriel Adit and Kanowit MP Aaron Dagang.

Any decision on which party to join is expected only after the five meet later next week with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Masing, who is PRS' de facto leader and state land development minister, is said to be keen on the five joining the party and had publicly invited them to do so.