Will SPDP-PRS merger work?

comments     Tony Thien     Published     Updated

In the first place, talk of a possible merger between Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) did not come from within - it came from an external source.

That being so, it is indeed encouraging to know that leaders of the two parties had publicly discussed the option and would consent to the move "if it is something good for the Dayak community".

But whether SPDP president William Mawan (right) and PRS president Dr James Masing genuinely believe it can happen or will work is a totally different matter.

The merger talk all started two months ago, when a top Sarawak BN leader suggested the two parties come together since they shared the same origins in the Sarawak National Party (Snap), a multi-racial but essentially Dayak-based with grassroots support among the Dayaks.

SPDP itself was formed after Snap was de-registered three years ago (Snap has gone to court to appeal against de-registration and has meantime been granted stay of execution) while PRS was also formed under similar circumstances, after the Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was de-registered last year for the second and final time.

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