Proponents of the Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) are still hoping that the party may be registered before the upcoming state election expected anytime now.

Its pro tem chairperson Nicholas Bawin told malaysiakini today they were 'greatly encouraged and hopeful' after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told a press conference in Kuching yesterday that he (Abdullah) had yet to make a final decision on the party's application submitted to the Registrar of Societies in May last year.

The Borneo Post in its report today described it as possibly 'a light at the end of the tunnel.'

Nicholas, who is also Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) president, flew to Kuala Lumpur this morning "at the request of an important government official in Kuala Lumpur" to pursue this 'ray of hope' in their final attempt to get the party registered in time for the elections.

Since last May

The elections are widely expected in early or mid May if the state legislative assembly is dissolved this weekend.

Bawin and his party officials have been knocking on the ROS' doors in Kuching and Putra Jaya almost every week since May last year.

State BN Iban leaders, especially Alfred Jabu, William Mawan and Dr James Masing have asked the federal authorities to reject MDC application on the ground that it will split the Dayak community further.

But MDC pro tem information chief Joseph Tawie said that SPDP and PRS were formed not to serve the interests of the Dayak community.

"Rather they were formed to serve the interests of certain individuals who had divorced themselves from the Dayak community, when they caused the demise of both Snap and PBDS," he added.

Snap has, however, been given a stay of execution pending its appeal to the court.

Going to the court?

Tawie added that MDC would provide the vehicle to articulate the hopes, interests, justice, fairness and all the things that have been missing in the Dayak community, the neglect of which is very evident in the first and all the past Malaysia Plans.'

He said even in the Ninth Malaysia there are no specific programmes designed to eradicate poverty among the Dayaks reportedly to be the highest among the communities in the country.

Tawie said if they failed to get the ROS to register the party, its proponents would consider other options, including going to the court to apply for a writ of mandamus to get a government explanation on its refusal to register MDC.

Meanwhile, MDC, Snap and PKR met last night to fine-tune their own list of candidates.

MDC pro tem deputy chairperson Dr Johnicol Rayong told malaysiakini that MDC is likely to contest in 22 out of the 29 Dayak seats (Iban/Bidayuh/Orang Ulu).