Top leaders of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) have for the first time publicly acknowledged the possibility of a merger taking place between the two state Barisan Nasional component parties.

SPDP president William Mawan, who is state social development minister, was quoted today by the Borneo Post as saying that if the merger is for the good of the two component parties and for the Dayak community, there was no reason for it not to happen.

His PRS counterpart Dr James Masing, the state land development minister, said the merger is not likely to happen overnight, though, saying that before anything else it will have to be preceded by a period of courtship.

Masing's own comments, in response to speculation in the past several weeks of a merger deal, about courtship are taken to mean the two parties would have to work together closely first, and that an economic conference on the Dayak community has been planned as a prelude to such bilateral co-operation.

Malaysiakini reported last month about the possibility of such a merger after Chief Minister and state BN chairperson Abdul Taib Mahmud had spoken separately to the two party leaders on the need for them to work together as one team again.

SPDP, PRS and the now defunct Parti Dayak Bansa Sarawak (PBDS) had all their origins in the Sarawak National Party (Snap), the parent party, which was de-registered three years ago following an internal squabble that led to the formation of SPDP. (Snap has gone to court to appeal against the de-registration and a stay order has been granted).

PBDS was formed earlier in the early 1980s as an offshoot of Snap and PRS was formed after PBDS was de-registered last year.

Strong Dayak group

Commenting on the merger report, Deputy Foreign Minister and former PBDS deputy president Joseph Salang said he welcomed such a merger in that it would reduce the number of Dayak-based political parties in Sarawak.

"This is one reason why we, the partyless five, did not form a new political party (after PBDS was de-registered)," said the Julau MP who is seen as the de facto leader of the partyless group.

Asked what would be their next move if the two parties were to eventually merge, he replied: "We will cross the bridge when we come to it."

Apart from Salang, the other partyless elected representatives from the former PBDS are Kanowit MP Aaron Dagang, Lubok Antu MP Jewah Gerang and state assemblypersons Gabriel Adit (Ngemah) and Stanley Ajang ( Belega).

A merger of the two parties will see their combined number of elected representatives at 20 - 13 state assemblypersons and seven MPs - which will be increased to 25 if the partyless five finally decide to join.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.