KUCHING, May 16 — The 13-member Barisan Nasional (BN) may soon grow bigger after Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem threw his support behind Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) to join the ruling coalition.

Adenan said he will convey the latest development to BN chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak soon, adding that there would be no changes to the state cabinet line-up, even though some members were effectively out of the state BN with the latest move.

“They are here to give me assurance that they have always been with BN and are with BN, and will continue to be with BN,” Adenan told reporters here, referring to the new members of Teras.

“I’m grateful with this clarification, so that there will be no more doubts raised over this matter. We welcome them and their support, and will make the necessary arrangement when the need arises,” he added.

The chief minister had met with several of the rogue lawmakers at the Wisma Bapa Malaysia here today, including former Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president Tan Sri William Mawan and Datuk Sri Wong Soon Koh, the former Sibu chief of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).

Mawan, who was also at the same news conference, said Teras formally apply to join BN after sorting out its party issues.

Critics claim the crossover was an attempt to “kill off” both SUPP and SPDP, which prompted a denial from Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian.

“We now have a platform, our own house. We do not intend to kill off anybody. Our action was to end the squabbles within our respective parties,” he said.

Ten of the fledgling party’s new members consist of elected representatives who quit their respective BN component parties due to internal disputes, which briefly rocked Sarawak’s political landscape.

With a total 11 lawmakers, Teras has the second-highest number of lawmakers in the state after Sarawak BN’s anchor, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which has 35 assemblymen in the 71-seat legislative assembly.

The president of Dayak-based BN component Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Tan Sri James Masing was unfazed at the possibility of another party joining BN, even though it consisted of familiar faces.

There was no reason to feel threatened with Teras, he said, noting that the party had yet to be accepted as part of BN.