Parti Rakyat Sarawak's (PRS) supreme council, which will meet on Saturday, is expected to form a committee to negotiate the terms and conditions of its merger with another Dayak-based party - Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

SPDP is expected to do likewise at its own central executive committee meeting two days later.

It is learnt that Deputy Foreign Minister Joseph Salang - the former leader of the now defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) - has also initiated moves to bring back his former party leaders and members, including those supporting the yet-to-be registered Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC), into the merger process.

PRS deputy president Sng Chee Hua ( left ) told malaysiakini today that his party president Dr James Masing wanted him to head the PRS merger committee.

If he accepts the offer, Sng might have to give up his chairmanship of the party's five-member selection committee which recommends candidates for the state elections due in November this year.

"They want me to head the committee," he said but did not reveal his decision.

Choice of candidates

Masing ( right ) and Sng have been at loggerheads over the final decision on some of the party's candidates for the elections, with Sng indicating that he prefers new faces instead of the incumbents.

However, Masing is said to be committed to retaining the old guards.

"If Sng is allowed to have his way, Masing could find himself with only one or two incumbents on his side," noted a party leader, who declined to be named.

Sng is also said to be in control of the majority of PRS supreme council members.

The party has nine state seats, including one new state seat (Balai Ringin) and two (Belaga and Ngemah) which it is claiming after the de-registration of PBDS. The incumbents for the Belaga and Ngemah seats have since joined SPDP.

If Masing or Sng is prepared to give way to the other, this could land the party in a new crisis, with one local Chinese newspaper suggesting that Masing and his supporters could be forced to leave PRS and move to SPDP.

Or Masing could leave the decision to Chief Minister and Sarawak Barisan Nasional chief Abdul Taib Mahmud to make the final decision on the candidates.

Explain meeting

Meanwhile, Sng told malaysiakini that his selection committee would table its initial recommendations on the four names already decided for the endorsement of the party's supreme council this weekend.

The four are Masing (Balleh), PRS vice-president and state assistant minister of sports Dublin Unting (Batang Ai), Youth deputy leader and state assistant minister of industrial development Larry Sng and PRS Balai Ringin branch chairperson Snowdan Lawan.

As for the remaining constituencies, this would be decided only a week later and tabled at the next SC meeting a month later, added Sng.

Two issues are expected to dominate the discussions at this week's SC meeting - the merger and the choice of candidates.

Masing is also expected to explain to the SC members about his meeting with SPDP chairperson William Mawan and Salang at the residence of senior Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) leader Adenan Satem last week during which they agreed on the initial steps towards the merger.