Attempts by the crisis-plagued Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) faction led by Larry Sng to lure partyless Julau MP and Deputy Foreign Minister Joseph Salang may have backfired.

Larry, son of PRS' former leader and elected representative Sng Chee Hua and Salang, treasurer of the now defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), attended for the first time a PRS function at Rumah Bennet, an Iban longhouse in central Sarawak during the weekend.

About 300 people, including more than100 tuai rumah or longhouse chiefs, attended the function. Both Larry and Salang were greeted by the traditional Iban welcome, including the sacrificial pig slaughtering.

Sng senior and Salang were with different factions during the PBDS leadership. Sng senior was supporting Dr James Masing, the state land development minister who now heads the other PRS faction at loggerheads with Larry's faction.

Salang was with former federal minister of energy and multimedia communications Leo Moggie's successor Daniel Tajem.

The quarrels led to PBDS' de-registration.

Salang's quarrel with Sng senior was more than political, it also involved personal and business issues.

Unexpected comments

But when he agreed to turn up at the longhouse function on Saturday, it was thought by the Sng faction leaders that he had probably let bygones be bygones.

The Larry faction's women chief Josephine Mawat and vice-president Munan Laja openly extended an olive branch to Salang, asking him to join PRS before the next elections.

Larry also sent the same signals.

However, Salang said he was not ready to join PRS, especially as the party is still 'carut' (Iban for in a mess). He advised the two factions to work out a permanent solution or face the same fate as PBDS.

He said that PRS leaders must know what it felt like to be in the present state just like how PBDS leaders felt when the party was de-registered.

Salang's 'shocking' remarks were totally unexpected.

After listening to PRS leaders claiming that the Julau seat belongs to PRS based on the principle that what belonged to PBDS is now inherited by PRS, Salang said he would it to the chief minister and prime minister to decide.

Salang said it would not be a big deal if he was not chosen as the Barisan Nasional candidate for the next parliamentary elections.

Later, Mawat and Munan were quoted as saying that they had already found a potential candidate for Julau, which is a predominantly-Iban constituency. The candidate is a retired government officer.

PRS is claiming all six MP seats previously won under the BN-PBDS ticket. However, the incumbent for Kanowit Aaron Dagang is now with Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP).

The only thing that the two rival factions in PRS agree on is that the six seats belong to PRS.