The Sarawak National Party(Snap), which has mounted a legal challenge against its deregistration in 2002, will allow delegates to decide on its future at a national council meeting.

"Yes, this is one of the proposals to be discussed at the meeting in Kuching next month," deputy president Justine Jinggut told malaysiakini today.

About 100 peope comprising delegates from 62 divisions as well as the office-bearers will attend the two-day meeting from Feb 26.

The Registrar of Societies struck off Snap, a Dayak-based party with multi-racial support, after a leadership crisis. This led to all its elected representatives forming a new party, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party.

Snap, meanwhile, took the government to court and won a stay of the decision, pending hearing of its application for a judicial review of the decision.

According to Justine, no date yet has been fixed for hearing as solicitors for both sides are still in the process of exchanging documents.

"Even if we're not successful we can still appeal to the Court of Appeal and finally to the Federal Court," he said.

While the legal process could take many years, the party's lawyers have applied for a certificate of urgency.

'Still relevant'

Justine said the decision on whether or not the party should carry on would be best left to the members.

"Personally, I feel we should to provide a credible opposition...(for) check and balance. I feel we are still relevant because Snap is already well known (to those) in the longhouses."

A party that once called the shots in Sarawak politics, its prominence has since diminished significantly because of internal party crises.

The first serious crisis led to the departure of many Iban intellectuals, including Leo Moggie and Daniel Tajem, and the formation of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) in the early 1980s.

PBDS itself was de-registered twice, leading to yet another breakaway group forming Parti Rakyat Sarawak.

Snap took part in the last parliamentary elections and fared badly, leading to questions as to whether or not the party still has a future. In the event that they call it a day, the question is where loyal members will go.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.