Opposition State Reform Party (Star) president Dr Patau Rubis has asked Malaysians, especially the younger generations, to welcome the dawn of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's era, fight money politics and stand firmly by principles to fight for a Bangsa Malaysia.

"We don't want the kind of era that nearly bankrupted us," he said on Saturday night at a concert in Kuching to commemorate the recent formation of a residents' women's association.

If nothing was done to stop money politics, as it was slowly eating the hearts and souls of many people, it would destroy their personal will and liberty and eventually the nation, he added.

Patau is a former state assistant minister who was sacked from Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's cabinet in 1995 for allegedly supporting independent candidates in the general election that year. He was a former maverick senior vice-president of the Sarawak National Party (Snap).

He now heads a largely Dayak-Bidayuh-based party that in the eight years of its existence has almost come to winning in several state seats, in spite of what he claimed as "Star being a poor party".

Like Star and its leaders and members who still remained loyal to it, he said the people should persevere and be patient "even if it is going to take 10 to 20 years to change things in Sarawak."

To support his point, he quoted an old saying "If it is to be , it is up to me."

He printed it on things-to-do cards and is distributing them among friends.

"What tomorrow will be depends on you," he told the crowd, mostly women and young people, at a makeshift community hall serving largely the Iban and Bidayuh migrants from the countryside who have settled in the Batu Kawah vicinity just outside Kuching.

Offer from Star

Meanwhile, Patau told malaysiakini he was offering Star to the PBDS Baru or SNAP Baru if their leaders were interested as they could eventually lose their parties through deregistration if they do not succeed in their legal action.

Snap is taking its case to the court for a judicial review of the Registrar of Societies' decision made three years ago, while some leaders of the deregistered PBDS are seriously contemplating going to court as well.

He had already lined up with a team and if the leaders accepted his proposal it could be a first step for a broad-based cohesive group to take on the Barisan Nasional in the state elections, widely expected before June next year. State elections are not due, however, till 2006.

The Star leader said he was hoping to be able to make an appointment to discuss things with Abdullah, probably after Hari Raya Puasa. He did not indicate what they were, however.