Opposition party Sarawak National Party (Snap) lost some of its more prominent members, as the widow and two sons of its founder Stephen Kalong Ningkan elected to join Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) today.

Rosalind, 59, submitted more than 29 application forms to SPDP president William Mawan at the party headquarters in Kuching.

This was witnessed by her immediate family members, including sons Paul and Gerald, SPDP senior vice-president Peter Nansian and other office-bearers.

Welcoming the Ningkan family into SPDP, Mawan described Snap as "a party left with skeletons".

He also said a political consolidation process was in progress involving Parti Rakyat Sarawak. If the two parties merge, there would be at least 17 state seats and 11 MPs under the entity.

Ningkan was Sarawak's first post-Independence chief minister. Rosalid, 59, was a former Snap Wanita chief who had resigned from the post in May 2004.

Snap president Edwin Dundang was not available for comment. A party official said he had gone to Betong.

His deputy, Justine Jinggut, told malaysiakini that it the Ningkan family's right to leave and join another party.

"We wish them good luck," he added.

Reading from a statement, Paul said the group had left Snap because it was no longer the party it used to be and that they had joined SPDP, a member of the state Barisan Nasional coalition, without any pre-conditions.

Speaking on behalf of the group, he claimed that the current leadership style in Snap was not going to benefit the people, as the party is being run "by only a few individuals".

Snap is now in the opposition and is part of the newly-created front Barisan Bersatu Sarawak, together with Parti Keadilan Rakyat, as-yet unregistered Malaysian Dayak Congress and some individuals.

Gerald told reporters that he expects about 200 Snap members from Sibu, Miri and Betong to follow their footsteps in joining SPDP.

SPDP was formed as an off-shoot of Snap at the height of a leadership crisis that was followed by the de-registration of the party. In its glory days in the 1970s, Snap had won 18 of the 48 seats in the state legislature.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.