KUCHING: Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president Tan Sri William Mawan yesterday kept mum on rumours of the party planning to resume merger talks with Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).
He told reporters here yesterday he was reserving comments for now and would only say something on the matter at an appropriate time, saying: “No comments (for now), ask me again later.”
Talks of another round of merger talks between SPDP and PRS emerged after PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing told an Internet news portal that he wanted such talks to resume as soon as possible in view of the current political situation in the country.
Masing had said that after analysing the cabinet appointments by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, there was an urgent need for Dayak-based political parties to get together and form an inclusive Dayak pact.
“Loose ends need to be tied up, and it must be inclusive where all the Dayak MPs are roped into the new Dayak entity. Until and unless we do this, we will continually be sidelined by future leaders of Malaysia. This is the only way to strengthen Dayak unity, and also to restore its dignity,” said Masing, obviously disappointed with the appointment of one full minister and one deputy minister from the party even though PRS delivered six seats for Barisan Nasional in the just-concluded 13th general election.
The merger was first mooted in 2005 by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud who wanted the two parties to merge into one political entity. SPDP is a breakaway party from now defunct Sarawak National Party (SNAP), formed in 2002, while PRS was formed following the deregistration of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) in October 2004.
Discussions between the two parties on the issue suddenly died down during the 2008 general election. However, the discussion resumed before the April 2011 state election but nothing moved after that even though both sides have their respective merger negotiation committees.
On another matter, Mawan still firmly believed the prime minister was saving the best for the last in federal cabinet appointments for SPDP.
He was of the opinion that the cabinet announced by Najib on May 15 was not the final line-up as there would be subsequent announcements to be made soon and more ministerial posts would be created.
“Maybe (it will be) after UMNO convention in September. The cabinet will be more inclusive, taking into consideration all political needs and the new thrust of our government. The relevant ministries will then have to be created to spearhead that programme. I believe so.
“That’s why we (SPDP) are not rushing, except that the backlash is there and it was expected. Some say I am very cool (over the matter). I am not trying to be cool, I just want to make sense before I just get angry. You can’t get angry with your boss,” he said.
He also mentioned that he had always been in contact with the prime minister, and disclosed that Najib even agreed to visit his longhouse again this time on June 9 for a Gawai programme.
“I will be meeting him soon. I have the confirmation that I will be seeing him (in Putrajaya), definitely before Gawai,” he said.
Asked on fellow state BN component Sarawak United People’s Party which was given a full minister post despite winning just one parliamentary seat, Mawan said disappointments from SPDP members were expected but they had to accept the decision.
“We should not look at things that way – ‘they got this, but we don’t’. Maybe the appointment (given to SUPP deputy president and six-term Serian MP Datuk Richard Riot) was due to political merit that PM has to consider, and I believe it was fair,” he said.
He also vowed that once SPDP is represented in the cabinet, its ministers or deputy ministers would serve for all Malaysians and not just for a particular race or region. Asked how many posts SPDP was aiming for, he jokingly said “as many as possible” although the least expected would be the previous quota of two deputy ministers.
SPDP won all its four seats – Mas Gading, Saratok, Bintulu and Baram – in the recently concluded 13th general election. The victors included two new faces – Anthony Nogeh in Mas Gading and Anyi Ngau in Baram.
Mawan, who is also a senior minister in the state cabinet and Pakan assemblyman, was the other new face when he won in Saratok while Bintulu was successfully retained by deputy president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.