Merger easy at Grassroots uncertainty at Top

KUCHING: May 17, 2008 Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Dato Sri Dr James Jemut Masing yesterday said the biggest challenge to a merger between his party and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) is to convince the grassroots. Masing claimed that the merger process was “progressing smoothly”, but refused to divulge much information, except to reiterate that both party leaderships were taking the matter seriously”. Asked regarding grassroots feedback, the PRS president said: “Not yet, I’ll tell you when the time comes. I know what their position is, but I will not reveal it now”.

Dr. Masing, Tajem and Salang

Masing brushed aside a reporter’s comment that the merger “at the top” (leadership) was the hardest part, saying: “The merger at the top is the easiest at the moment. I can tell you that. “Now we have to go to the grassroots. We have to explain to them why we need to merge. Once we have their support, then only can the merger last.” He said to him the merger was akin to a marriage. “If we don’t get the grassroots support, the marriage will end up in divorce in no time should we not be careful.”

So far a committee has been set up to facilitate the merger, and according to Masing, the committee is given full authority “but up to a certain extent”. “The committee will still have to get the endorsement of both supreme councils of PRS and SPDP. But we give them all the authority to decide what they want to do, pending the endorsements.”