It could be a futile attempt but Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) faction leader Larry Sng is not ready to give up yet.

The 29-year-old assistant minister still maintains his position of not recognising rival Dr James Masing as the party leader but he also wants his supporters to carry on their struggle until victory is achieved.

At a recent gathering in Sibu, attended by the heads and more than 400 members from the party's 11 divisions in the central region, Larry said he could still the light at the end of the tunnel and that they should all journey together until they reached their destination.

james masing This is in reference to the fight between the two factions for control of the party which was plunged into a leadership crisis more than two years ago, with Masing, the state land development minister, leading one and Larry leading the other.

However, all but one of the party's 14 elected representatives are in the Masing camp.

On this alone, the Masing faction has claimed victory over the rival faction, and a recent Registrar of Societies' official reply in response to the department's show-cause letter has given the party the reprieve, reinstating the status quo in the composition of the party's supreme council prior to the start of the crisis.

But the ROS letter is still unclear as to the legitimate body since both factions have held their own party elections since then, and it is understood that the Masing faction has made an attempt to get a letter from the ROS to state equivocally the legitimate group.

Both factions have also written to the ROS on the matter.

Assurance from the leader

A leader of the Sng faction told Malaysiakini today that the gathering in Sibu held at a showroom compound of the party's Nangka division chairperson Peter Goh indicated the overwhelming response from party members in the central region for the faction under Larry.

larry sng “We will be holding a meeting to discuss the overwhelming response from the central region and on the next course of action to take to continue with our struggle in the party,” Leon Donald, the youth chief aligned to the Sng faction, added.

He added that Larry had assured his supporters he would be in the forefront of the struggle and lead the forthcoming roadshows.

Larry also spoke about the enemies within the BN and the threat posed by Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the alliance of opposition parties comprising PKR, DAP and PAS.

These problems must be tackled, he added.

Former Sri Aman MP and the faction's deputy head Jimmy Donald and the party's secretary-general Sidi Munan aligned to the Sng faction also spoke at the function.

There has been no reaction so far from the Masing faction.