The Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) headquarters in Kuching has become the focus of rival factions seeking to control six more boxes containing the annual returns of branches.

Last week, three members of the Youth wing - led by deputy chief Kristoffer Nyuak - had removed o­ne box from the premises without official clearance.

The batch of seven boxes - locked and sealed - had been handed over to the headquarters o­n March 31.

These hold the annual returns of some 177 branches that are reportedly aligned to the faction led by information chief Dr James Jemut Masing ( photo ).

Failed attempt?

Yesterday morning, supreme council member Sidi Munan was said to have led a group of 20 supporters to the office in Jalan Wan Alwi in an attempt to retrieve the six boxes, but failed.

Malaysiakini

learnt that Sidi had approached executive secretary Henry Lian with a letter addressed to secretary-general Stanley Ajang, seeking to retrieve the boxes.

Lian allegedly told him that he needed a directive from Ajang before he could release the boxes, and that he did not have the key to the strongroom where these are being stored o­n the orders of deputy president Daniel Tajem.

Tajem also chairs the political affairs bureau, which oversees branch matters.

However, Sidi denied this morning that he was involved in any attempt to retrieve the documents.

Asked whether there were plans to take back the boxes, he replied: "We're consulting o­ne another o­n this. It is a sensitive issue."

Questions raised

Lian said a big group of people had shown up at the office to take back the boxes yesterday morning.

"Unfortunately, the secretary-general is away in Sungai Asap, Belaga," he said, adding that he himself did not have the key to the strongroom or the authority to release any of the

boxes.

Lian said the letter from the group explained that the boxes were required for safekeeping since the deadline for submission of annual returns had been extended to May 15.

Malaysiakini

understands that Masing has stepped in to get the headquarters to release the boxes.

The incident has raised curiosity as to why the group is anxious to take back the boxes when these are locked and sealed, and whose submission has been acknowledged in writing by the headquarters.

Leadership tussle

The Masing-Sng group has also submitted the annual returns of some branches direct to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) office in Kuching, thereby bypassing party headquarters.

Rules stipulate that annual returns must be submitted in prescribed forms which must be counter-signed by a principal office-bearer, namely, the secretary-general.

The headquarters maintains that the documents will o­nly be submitted to the ROS after May 15, o­nce it has verified the authenticity of registered branches.

Masing will stand against Tajem for the president's post at the triennial delegates conference, which is likely to be held in August.

His running-mate Sng Chee Hua, o­ne of the five vice presidents, will run as deputy president against treasurer-general Joseph Salang Gandum of the Tajem faction.

The Masing-Sng faction has been campaigning hard for the last few months and claims to have the support of 177 of the 206 branches.