KUCHING: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah hopes the merger between Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) will be for the good of the rural Bumiputera community.
He said it would be good if both parties decided to merge as their leaders had always advocated unity of the Dayaks.
“I’m glad this idea (merger) has cropped up again, but hopefully it’s for real, that is, for the unity of the rural Bumiputera and not any other agenda,” Abdul Karim, who is Assistant Youth Development Minister, said in his WhatsApp message yesterday.
He was asked on a report yesterday that SPDP had resolved to work towards merger with PRS by enhancing cooperation and understanding with its fellow Barisan Nasional (BN) component party.
The resolution was made at SPDP supreme council meeting held at a leading hotel in Miri on Sunday and a statement issued by its supreme council member, among others, stated that the party would seriously reach out to PRS to realise the joint proposal made by the two parties some years ago.
According to Abdul Karim, the idea of merger between the two parties had been “on and off” many times, like the Malay saying ‘tengelam timbul’.
“If we look back at history, SPDP and PRS are like two children of the same parents that have parted ways,” he said, explaining that they were off-shoots of BN.
SPDP is an off-shoot of Sarawak National Party (SNAP), while PRS of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), both having been de-registered.
Former SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom left SPDP and joining him were Datuk Peter Nansian, Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran, Rosey Yunus, Paulus Palu Ngumbang to form Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) and declared the new party BN-friendly.