The MP is said to be abroad. That he has chosen to be far away in the United States as his allegiance to a party is being debated at home (in Sarawak) smacks of a deliberate political twist which a thinking public may not view as altogether 'responsible'.

Lubok Antu parliamentarian Jawah Gerang (left) was reported to have submitted his application to join a faction (led by Larry Sng) of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) this week. He had been officially welcomed into the party at the meeting on Wednesday in which he was not present.

However, the announcement of his entry into PRS has caught the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) leadership by surprise.

As far as SPDP is concerned, Jawah joined SPDP in September last year and became a supreme council member a month later. He was partyless for about a year after Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was deregistered on Oct 21, 2004.

No comment

According to a Borneo Post report today, SPDP president William Mawan Ikom was guarded when questioned about Jawah's move, saying he had not seen the news report (of Jawah joining PRS) and was not able to comment on it.

"But whether people come and go in the party, it is within their right as members. We will deal with this when we get a clearer picture," said Mawan (left), who is also Sarawak social development and urbanisation minister.

However, a SPDP source told the paper that the party's leadership was unaware of Jawah's intention to join PRS.

"We are surprised," said the source.

The SPDP supreme council is expected to hold a meeting next week and Jawah's move could be on the agenda.