Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak's (PBDS) triennial delegates conference this year may see a keen contest for the No 2 post should the party fail to reach a consensus.

The stakes are high and two aspirants party information chief and state social development and urbanisation minister Dr James Jemut Masing and party treasurer and member of parliament for Julau Joseph Salang Gandum (photo) have expressed their intention to vie for the post.

If the contest takes place, it will be Masing's second attempt for the post. In the last party elections, he had failed to unseat incumbent Daniel Tajem former deputy chief minister and former envoy to New Zealand

There is a general consensus within the party that Tajem should become president when federal Energy, Telecommunications and Multimedia Minister Leo Moggie steps down at the conference which is tentatively scheduled for August.

Tajem is one of the founding leaders of PBDS which was a splinter group from the newly de-registered Sarawak National Party (Snap).

However, there appears to be no clear replacement for the deputy president post if Tajem moves up.

Masing, who is close to Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, was the first to publicly declare his intention to contest for the post followed by Salang a week later.

In an interview with a local English daily Sarawak Tribune, Salang a Telekom Malaysia director and Moggie ally said he would be interested in the post "if that is what party members want."

Avoid conflict

As the two potential candidates gear up to do battle, several party leaders have expressed the view that the party should not go through a second internal conflict, similar to that in the last party elections which left PBDS bruised following the contest for the deputy president post between Masing and Tajem.

The previous contest which saw Masing and his supporters defeated was also considered a 'proxy war' between the factions led by Masing and Moggie respectively.

Appointed PBDS supreme council member Dublin Unting, who is also assistant tourism minister, was quoted in the Sarawak Tribune today as saying it would be difficult for members to close ranks after a bitter contest, urging party leaders to reach some form of consensus on the choice for the No 2 post.

But Dublin is a close ally of Masing and his statement would imply that the party should allow the latter to move up to the deputy president post without a fight.

However informed sources claimed that Masing has been losing support within the party and a consensus which would allow him to assume the post uncontested might not go down well with the majority of party delegates.

Another party leader who asked not to be named said an intense contest could leave the party in shambles and may lead to a break-up, like what happened in Snap.

Politics and business

PBDS is an Iban-based party and Iban politics is not only about political power but also business.

There is inevitably a certain amount of envy among some party leaders with the increasingly important business links of certain party leaders.

Salang has been singled out frequently and he is often linked to Moggie.

Malaysiakini had speculated that at the last party elections Moggie had wanted Salang to become the deputy president but this was thwarted by Tajem's decision to seek re-election and Masing's decision to contest.

However, Salang later denied harbouring any intention of contesting for the post.

But things have changed this time around. Salang has publicly expressed his desire to contest the No 2 post, since party insiders have indicated that there is no likelihood of Moggie changing his mind about stepping down as party president.

"Moggie feels he has done more than enough for the party, and he wants the party to choose his successor and a new team before he steps down in August," one party leader told malaysiakini.

A former senior Barisan Nasional leader said it was probably the right view to take that party leaders should reach some form of consensus, decide on who should be what in the party, to avoid another conflict that could cause irreparable damage to the party.

According to observers, in the event of some compromise being reached with Moggie at the heart of the negotiations Salang would become deputy president while Masing could be appointed secretary-general.