State assemblypersons Gabriel Adit (Ngemah) and Stanley Ajang (Belaga) may be the latest recruits in the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) but there is no guarantee that they will get to defend their seats in the next state election.

If there is any reason that they would not be able to do so, it is because they have openly defied Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's advice to them to join Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).

SPDP president William Mawan said that Taib, who is the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) chairperson would be informed of the party's decision to accept the duo into the party.

"We will also discuss the position of the seats of the two assemblymen," he was quoted by Bernama as saying in Kuching yesterday.

Mawan announced Friday that the SPDP supreme council accepted the membership applications of Ajang and Adit on Thursday night.

Ajang and Adit won their seats as members of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), which was de-registered more than a year ago following an internal leadership crisis. Ajang was the PBDS secretary-general and Adit its vice president.

Cannot get into PBB

Three other elected representatives of PBDS - Members of Parliament Datuk Joseph Salang (Julau), Aaron Ago Dagang (Kanowit) and Jawah Gerang (Lubok Antu) - have remained partyless.

All the five had applied unsuccessfully to join Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), the state BN's largest component party led by Taib. Salang is the Deputy Foreign Minister.

Mawan, who is the state Social Development and Urbanisation Minister, said the allocation of the Ngemah and Belaga seats as well as SPDP's share of the nine new seats created for the next state election would be decided by Taib.

He also said the decision by Ajang and Adit to join SPDP should not be construed as a sign of rivalry between the party and PRS.