PRS and PBB are component parties in Sarawak Barisan Nasional.
Masing, the president of PRS, also encouraged other component leaders in Sarawak BN to publicly voice their opinions on the matter.
Nine BN candidates, six of whom are from splinter parties, have applied to join PBB, the dominant component party with leaders from the Dayak, Orang Ulu, Melanau and Malay communities.
Among them are former Teras president William Mawan, who is also Saratok MP. Should PBB control 42 seats, or more than half of the total state seats, it would be able to form a state government on its own.
Dayak-based PRS controls 11 seats, while Chinese-majority Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Dayak-majority Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) control seven and three seats respectively.
“First of all I won’t repeat what I have said before. My party is not the only one affected,” Masing told reporters after a party dinner here last night.
“SUPP and SPDP, have you gotten their opinions? Have they expressed their opinions. What have they said? Why are they so scared of saying what needs to be said? I have said my peace and that’s it. I won’t repeat it again,” he added.
In April, Masing warned against PBB contesting, or controlling more than 40 seats, saying doing so would render other BN components “irrelevant.”
It is a long held understanding among the Sarawak BN coalition that no single component party control more than half of the total number of state seats.
Prior to the May 7 state election, three members quit PBB in order to contest as BN direct candidates. Also contesting under the BN banner was Mawan, who resigned from Teras along with two others.
Seven BN direct candidates resigned from UPP, a splinter party of SUPP to contest in the election. Five candidates won their seats, including former UPP president Wong Soon Koh, who was re-appointed as second state finance minister.
Of the five assemblymen, three left to apply for PBB membership on Wednesday.
On Friday, SUPP president Dr Sim Kui Hian stopped short of outright criticism of PBB, proposing instead that BN components merge into a single multi-ethnic party.
“The understanding was, in order to contest as a BN direct candidate, you must resign from the party, which they did. The next question was, after that, if you want to be a member of the administration, you have to come back and join a BN political party.
“I’m not the only party involved. I’ve said what needed to be said. I won’t repeat it again. So you ask them. You ask Prof Sim. You ask (UPP president) Tiong King Sing, what do they think?” Masing said.
“You ask them, I’m sure that are bright enough and old enough to answer for themselves, without me answering for them,” he added.