The Sarawak Barisan Nasional has accepted the application from the newly-formed Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) to join the ruling coalition, Chief Minister and state BN chairperson Abdul Taib Mahmud announced today.

Speaking to reporters after a state BN meeting this afternoon, he said he would write to Prime Minister and BN chairperson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to recommend that PRS be admitted into the BN as a component party.

Taib said the deregistered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) group led by Dr James Masing were genuine and loyal to the BN and as such, there was no reason to reject their application.

During the press conference, Taib was already referring to Dr Masing, his state land development minister, as PRS president, although this has not been formalised. Sidi Munan, a political veteran, is the pro tem president.

Masing is among nine elected representatives - six state assemblypersons and three members of parliament - from PBDS who have all joined PRS on the same day it was registered.

Apart from Masing as full state minister, two of them are state assistant ministers (Dublin Unting and Larry Sng) and one deputy federal minister (Joseph Entulu).

Individual cases

On the remaining five elected representatives (three MPs and two state assemblypersons) aligned to former PBDS president Daniel Tajem group, only the MP for Julau Joseph Salang (pic left) holds a government post - that of deputy foreign minister.

To a question, Taib said it was up to them to decide which BN component parties they wanted to join.

"It is up to the BN component parties (to decide ) as individual cases," he said.

Later, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president William Mawan told reporters that his party has not been approached by anyone from the Tajem group.

"Our door is always open, however," he said, stressing however that they would consult the BN leadership before taking anyone in.

Asked to comment in the event that PBDS is re-registered, Taib said he would not want to respond to a hypothetical question.

Also present at the meeting were Supp president Dr George Chan, PBB deputy presidents Alfred Jabu and Abang Johari Tun Openg, PBB and state BN secretary-general Ambrose Blikau and PBB executive secretary Sepawi Ariffin, William Mawan and SPDP deputy president Peter Nyarok.