PBB currently controls 40 of the 82 state seats. It comprises leaders from the Dayak, Malay, Orang Ulu and Melanau communities.
A total of 11 direct candidates won their state seats during the May 7 state election contesting under the BN banner.
They had to quit from their parties to stand as BN direct candidates under a new system implemented for the recent Sarawak election.
Following internal disputes among BN components Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), several leaders left to form splinter parties.
Former SUPP Deputy Secretary-General Wong Soon Koh left with supporters to join United People’s Party (UPP), while former SPDP President William Mawan did the same with Sarawak People’s Energy Party (Teras).
Both leaders joined the non-BN affiliated splinter parties in May 2014, and resigned to contest as BN direct candidates.
Mawan, who is Pakan state assemblyman, has applied to join PBB, along with former Teras Senior Vice-President Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and former party Treasurer-General Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau),
On Wednesday, PBB Executive Secretary Awang Bujang Awang Antek confirmed the party had received the applications from former UPP Deputy President Dr Jerip Susil who is Mambong assemblyman, party Senior Vice-President Ranum Mina (Opar) and party Youth Chief Dr Johnical Rayong (Engkilili).
The three other direct candidates are former PBB members. They are Gerawat Gala, a Kelabit and lawyer by profession who won the Mulu state seat, former PBB Youth committee member Miro Simuh (Serembu) and retired civil servant John Ilus (Bukit Semuja).
On Thursday, the Teras central executive committee announced that its 25,000 members will apply to join PBB en-bloc.
Acting Teras President Peter Nansian Ngusie told reporters here that party will apply after two weeks when it collects the applications.
And if Mawan’s membership is approved, PBB would increase the number of its MPs to 16. The state BN currently has 25 MPs.
Such political developments will likely make PBB’s coalition partners uneasy and is a long cry from PBB’s shaky beginnings.
In Sarawak’s first election in 1970, Parti Bumiputera Sarawak (Bumiputera) and Sarawak Chinese Association (SCA) won 15 of the 48 state seats under the Alliance party banner.
Bumiputera, which consisted of mostly Malay, Melanau and Orang Ulu leaders, had won 14 seats while SCA took one seat.
Unable to form the government with such numbers, and after facing resistance from Dayak-based parties Pesaka and Sarawak National Party (SNAP), which won eight and 12 seats respectively, the Alliance turned to partner with SUPP, which won 12 seats.
Bumiputera later merged with Pesaka to form PBB in 1973, the same year the Alliance party changed its name to Barisan Nasional.
Since then, there was an understanding among the state BN coalition that PBB should not hold more than half of the total number of state seats.
In a press conference on Thursday, Wong expressed regret that the former UPP leaders, who are all Dayak, would join PBB.
“All these years, since the days when we were in SUPP, and later in UPP, we have agreed to sink or swim together,” Wong told reporters here Thursday.
“We have said so many times, yet this happened,” said Wong, who is the state’s second finance minister.
The political options for Wong, who is ethnic Chinese, may be limited. Wong had previously shot down suggestions that he rejoin SUPP.
Another BN candidate that may be left in the lurch is Tiong Thai King, who had wrested the state seat of Dudong from DAP in the state election.
Thai King is the brother of Tiong Hiew King, the owner of timber conglomerate Rimbunan Hijau Group. He had resigned as UPP Dudong branch chairman before contesting in the election.
SPDP President Tiong King Sing has said that he welcomes direct candidates, but said they would have to join as ordinary party members.
Prior to the election, one of the more vocal opponents of PBB contesting, or controlling more than half of the total state seats, was Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) President James Masing, who was recently appointed as deputy chief minister
“If PBB has more than 41 seats, it means the notion of a coalition government is null and void because PBB can form the state government by a simple majority,” Masing was quoted as saying in April.
“Other state BN component parties like PRS, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) will become irrelevant,” Masing said.
In the May 7 election, PBB won all 40 seats it contested. PRS contested and won all 11 seats. SUPP won seven of the 13 seats it contested, while SPDP won three of five seats it contested.
Eleven of 13 BN direct candidates fielded won their state seats.