The new Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) is expected to obtain its registration approval by this week, according to its pro tem president Sidi Munan.

The proposed multi-racial party was formed by supporters of the recently de-registered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) faction led by state minister Dr James Masing.

They are confident that the party, upon obtaining the green light form the Registrar of Societies (ROS), would be admitted into the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

The state BN supreme council is expected to meet soon to decide, among others, on the question of providing ' temporary parking' for the 14 elected representatives of PBDS.

The previous supreme council meeting attended by leaders of the three component parties Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu(PBB), Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) and Sarawak Democratic Progress Party(SPDP) decided to offer temporary parking spaces in their parties to the PBDS elected representatives.

Work together

While Masing and eight other elected representatives were quick to agree, the remaining five aligned to the rival faction led by Daniel Tajem have been hesitant.

They want to await for the result of their appeal to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and until they have exhausted all legal avenues to overturn the ROS decision.

Masing went public two days ago to tell the five elected representatives not to waste time with the appeal, to put the past aside and work together with his group to continue supporting BN.

According to political observers, if and when PRS is finally registered and admitted into the BN while Tajem's faction is still trying to get PBDS reinstated, it may be too late for them to return to the BN fold.

According to BN secretary-general Mohamat Rahmat, a component party which is de-registered automatically ceases to be a member of the BN.