PRS, SPDP chiefs cautious about tri-party merger

KUCHING: A marriage is not something anyone should rush into and it should be no different for political parties although the prospect of having a well-to-do spouse is very enticing. That is one way of looking at the reactions of the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) presidents yesterday to the possibility that their parties’ merger could be a step towards a greater political union.

PRS president Dato Sri Dr James Masing and SPDP president Dato Sri William Mawan were certainly supportive of the idea of joining Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) one day but there was just that slight hint of “cold feet”. “It needs a lot of thinking. Rational thinking and not emotional thinking,” said Masing, the Land Development Minister, when contacted in Kapit. But having said that, he believed that a merger with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) would be a step in the right direction given the current political climate in the country.

“The Chief Minister’s (Abdul Taib Mahmud) comments will strengthen Sarawak based parties against the onslaught of peninsula-based parties in the next state election. The political landscape has changed so we must change too to stay relevant,” he added. Taib, the state BN chairman, had on Friday spoken of the possibility that the merged PRS-SPDP entity could one day negotiate to join PBB, the state coalition’s backbone party of which he is the president. He had said there were suggestions in the past that PRS and SPDP should join PBB but he did not agree then because the parties were not growing at the same pace.

However, he said that could change if the PRS-SPDP merger was realized as the new party, which would have an understanding of the demands of a merger, would be in a better position to negotiate with PBB. If the tri-party merger is realized, it would be a major consolidation of Bumiputera based coalition parties in Sarawak. Indeed, it would be one of the largest parties in Malaysia.

Mawan, when interviewed by reporters after a function here yesterday, spoke a great deal about taking things a step at a time and obviously, the first step would be to make sure the PRS-SPDP merger happened smoothly. He said the main objective of the merger was to enhance the political stability of the state and he agreed with Taib that it was difficult to negotiate if their parties were not in order. He conceded that in their meetings, SPDP and PRS realised that they had issues to overcome first.

“So if we can merge in a very peaceful manner and we become solid, the next step will be to go a step further in achieving solidarity of the government with regards to Bumiputera politics as envisaged by the Chief Minister. But you have to polish yourself up first, you have to get yourself united and have a lot of common stand in a lot of things,” said Mawan, who is Social Development and Urbanisation Minister. He pointed out that it was Taib’s wish for the Bumiputera leaders to be united and in so doing, Mawan felt that Bumiputera leaders must be prepared to make sacrifices.

“I don’t mind stepping aside. I can’t just say let’s merge, let’s go for it and I’m not prepared and make myself a stumbling block. That’s not commitment,” he said. Asked if Taib’s comments would speed up the SPDP-PRS merger, he replied: “I’m sure it gives a lot of assurance and confidence among members of the grassroots especially. For us leaders, we know from time to time he (Taib) has been encouraging us but at the same time, he also realises there is a lot of problems that we have to solve. He reminded us about setting aside our own personal things and that we must rise above it even beyond ourselves. That is very very important for me.”

SPDP and PRS do not have a timetable for their merger. It was only Wednesday that the merger committees of both parties agreed that a merger ‘would be in their parties’ best interest.” The committees also announced that they have shortlisted three names for their new party - Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak (Beras), Demokratik Rakyat Sarawak (Deras) or Bersatu Progresif Rakyat Sarawak (BPRS). But naming the new party is only a small part of the process. The biggest challenge would be the new leadership of the party and that is something the two committees are apparently not looking at yet.

Merger can alter political scene : Taib

KUCHING: Chief Minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud, yesterday suggested that the political landscape in Sarawak might change if Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) merged and then joined Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) to form a larger political party. He emphasised, however, that this could happen only if the parties involved shared common political objectives and achieved a deep level of understanding. The Chief Minister made this comment in response to a question on the proposed merger between PRS and SPDP after officiating at the opening of the newly renovated EPF building here, yesterday.

“If they want to join PBB, it is up to them. But if they are ready for that after their merger then the procedure of another merger is realistic. So it is up to them if they want to join PBB later. We will welcome them if they want to be successful. If they want a stronger party then we will negotiate with them,” he said. Taib, who is also PBB President and State BN Chairman, was happy that both SPDP and PRS were serious in their efforts to merge.

Abdul Taib Mahmud (third left) being welcomed by EPF officials upon his arrival to officiate at the opening of the newly renovated EPF Building

“It is a good step. My advice initially was when you have a merger, you have to go through a process like a marriage and therefore, you ought to learn what your partners are like and try to understand them. The merger must not be rushed until there is sufficient understanding. When you have that understanding of each other, only then the question of compromise and even sacrifice is possible because you can see the future benefit to both sides,” he said. According to Taib, political merger in Sarawak was nothing new as PBB had had such experience in the past.

“We have that kind of merger in PBB. In fact, we have had two mergers before. One was between Berjasa and Parti Negara in 1966 to Parti Bumiputera, and the other between Parti Bumiputera and Dayaks' Parti Pesaka in 1972 to form the present PBB. It was done like that. A lot of adjustments had to be made and that is why PBB is very close and very cohesive. I told them at one stage that there would be a lot of feelings that we should bring to these two parties into our party. So I thought the best thing for them is to go through their own merger procedures so that when they negotiate with us, they will understand what we are trying to achieve,” he said.

On another issue, Taib, who is also Minister of Finance, hoped that the mid-term review would further boost the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). On Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President, Datuk Yong Teck Lee’s proposal to table a motion of no confidence on the Prime Minister, Taib said it was against the spirit of BN.

Sarawak’s Dayak parties to merge

KUCHING: Thursday, June 19th, 2008 Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) have mutually agreed to merge to consolidate the Dayaks’ political strength. The breakthrough came following several rounds of talks between top officials of the two Dayak-based Barisan Nasional component parties.

With the agreement, the two parties have shortlisted three names for the merged new party: Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak (Beras), Demokratik Rakyat Sarawak (Deras) and Bersatu Progresif Rakyat Sarawak (BPRS). The merged new party, which has 16 state assemblymen and 10 MPs, will beat Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) to become the second biggest component in the state coalition. SUPP has 11 assemblymen and six MPs.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) led by Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is the state Barisan backbone. SPDP's secretary-general Sylvester Entrie said his party and PRS had agreed to merge as it would be in their best interests.He said the two parties would get feedback from the grassroots on which of the three proposed names should be picked for the merged entity.

PRS & SPDP making headway

KUCHING: The long-talked about merger between Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) seems to be making headway. This followed a “positive meeting” between officials of the two Dayak-based Barisan Nasional component parties last week. Talks on a merger had been on hold after an internal leadership crisis occurred in PRS two years ago.

Factions led by Datuk Dr James Masing and Larry Sng Wei Shien were engaged in a bitter tussle to take control of the party leadership. The tussle however abated after Sng, who is Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, said last month that he recognised Dr Masing as party chief.

However, Sng’s key supporters have yet to heed his calls to accept Dr Masing as the party president. Dr Masing said PRS and SPDP were now in the “right mood' for the proposed merger following the meeting.

“There is a common understanding between us. The grassroots must first agree to merge and understand why we (both parties) need to come together,” he told reporters after launching a road safety campaign in conjunction with the Gawai Dayak festival at the waterfront area here.

Dr Masing said for the merger to be officially sealed, both parties had to get the approval at their respective general meetings. He said the merger would consolidate Dayak unity, with the native community making up over a million of Sarawak’s 2.3 million people.

PRS & SPDP to merge for Dayak unity

Dato Sri Dr James Masing, the PRS president claimed that now is the right time and mood for PRS and SPDP to merge. He however stressed that grassroots members from both parties need to understand for the need to merge and support the merger.

Once PRS and SPDP merged into a single entity, the new party will be the largest Dayak based party in Sarawak Barisan Nasional party components. It will have large voices and supporters. The new party can also lead the Dayak into a stronger unity. But first, leaders from both parties, need to sit down and formulate when to merge, how to merge and the million dollar question is who will lead the new party.

Relinquish one power is very hard to do. That will happen to James Masing and William Mawan. For the merger to be successful, either James Masing or William Mawan give way to one another (which can lead to faction and is very unlikely) or both of them step down and let another figure become the president of the new party. Only then, the new party will be stronger.