The five 'partyless' elected representatives of the deregistered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) have decided to join Sarawak's largest party Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB).

Disclosing this today, former PBDS secretary-general Stanley Ajang, who is the state assemblyperson for Belaga, said they had informed the prime minister and Barisan Nasional chairperson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of their intention to join PBB, the backbone of the state ruling coalition led by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud during a meeting with him last Friday.

The other elected representatives aligned to former PBDS president Daniel Tajem faction are Deputy Foreign Minister Joseph Salang (Julau MP), Jewah Gerang (Lubok AntuMP), Aaron Dagang (Kanowit MP) and Gabriel Adit, the state assemblyperson for Ngemah.

The group had earlier met PBB leaders, including their deputy president Alfred Jabu, senior vice- president Adenan Satem, PBB supreme council member Awang Asfia Awang Nassar, treasurer Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and secretary-general Ambrose Blikau to indicate their intention to apply to join PBB en bloc.

Applying soon

In a signed press statement, Ajang said the prime minister had agreed to talk to the chief minister as PBB president following their request in asking him to lobby for their application to join PBB.

It is understood that they will be sending in their formal application soon.

PBB holds 30 of the 62 state assembly seats. If the ex-PBDS group is accepted into PBB, the party will command a simple majority in the House.

Ajang did not give reasons why they had opted to join PBB.

Sources close to the group of five told malaysiakini that since they had no intention of forming a new party and possibly no intention of reviving PBDS and also had no intention to join PRS, they believe that this will be the best course in order to continue providing greater political stability.

The sources added that the majority of their grassroots supporters also wanted them to join PBB.