The beleaguered Sarawak National Party (Snap) elected a new leadership team in a pre-arranged no-contest election in Kuching yesterday.

In a happy ending to a tame and quiet 15th triennial general assembly of the party, the team led by newly-elected party president Edwin Dundang declared that Snap was ready to begin a fresh chapter in its 42-year history.

Dundang said his immediate goals were to reactivate all party branches, prepare the party for the coming parliamentary election and use the legal process to pursue the party's fight against the Registrar of Societies' (ROS) to revoke Snap registration.

(The Court of Appeal has recently allowed Snap to apply for an order to quash the ROS' de-registration decision. The temporary reprieve was given o­n April1, 2003.)

Re-affirm position

Dundang said the party would seek a meeting with the state and national Barisan Nasional leadership to "re-affirm" its position in the coalition.

"As far as we are concerned, Snap has never left or being kicked out of the Barisan Nasional.

"Legally, in spirit and soul, we are still in the Barisan.''

He said Snap would defend its four parliamentary seats and seven state seats in the next general election.

While the new president's well-meant words and enthusiasm are welcomed, a former senior Snap stalwart, however, felt that things were easier said than done.

"Snap is in a sticky situation at present. I doubt the party will be taken seriously by the top Barisan Nasional leadership again even if it manages to clear the legal hurdle", he told malaysiakini today.

He said that all the 10 elected representatives of Snap were already in the newly-registered Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party ( SPDP ) which was already recognised by the BN as the new Snap.

As good as dead

"As such, I don't foresee any chance for Snap to claim its quota of seats from the BN.

"It is also public knowledge that SPDP was sponsored by certain top leaders at state and federal level. With such a 'protection' for SPDP, it is almost impossible for Snap to regain its seat quota," said the former central executive committee member of the party.

Requesting for anonymity in a telephone interview with malaysiakini , he stressed that as far as the BN was concerned, Snap was as "good as dead" after it was deregistered o­n Nov 5 last year by the ROS.

Asked what the future holds for the party, he said "it really depends o­n how ambitious the present crop of leaders are".

"If they want to go all out to prove that the people's support is still there, then they might as well contest the general election as an opposition party.

"In fact, the party's survival could very well depend o­n that," he said.

He added that it would be an exercise in futility for Snap to fight with SPDP for its former seats.

"It is more advisable for Snap to fight the elections o­n its own. If it manages to win some seats, then it can always re-apply to join the BN. Parti Bersatu Sabah had done it. And there is no shame for Snap to do it too".

The former Snap leader said that through that way, Snap would be seen as more "dignified and credible" rather than to keep o­n begging the BN for favours as it seemed to be doing now.

New line-up

At yesterday's TGA, Dundang who is also former chairperson of the Miri Port Authority and son of a former party founder, the late Bugak Duat, replaced James Wong Kim Min as president.

Wong who has called it a day after serving the party for 40 years, including 22 years as its president, was made the party's patron and life president.

Former secretary-general Justine Jinggut has been promoted to deputy president while former Senator Michael Bong Thian Joon was elected the senior vice-president.

Edmund Stanley Jugol was appointed secretary-general and Dennis Chang Foh o­nn the treasurer general.

Rosalind Ningkan was elected Wanita leader while businessman Dayrell Walter Entrie was elected Youth leader.

Snap's most famous leader is its founder Stephen Kalong Ningkan who served as Sarawak's first chief minister from 1963 to 1966.

KS Paul is malaysiakini stringer based in Sarawak.