The focus of attention for the next two days in the on-going saga within the troubled Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) is a huge gathering in Kapit, central Sarawak, tomorrow as a show of support for the rival Masing-Sng faction.

All party branches throughout Sarawak have been invited to attend what is officially described as a meet-the-people session inside the dewan suarah (community hall) as a closed-door affair for only party members immediately after the ground-breaking ceremony for the proposed Nanga Meluku-Nanga Gat road.

Malaysiakini was told by a pro-Masing supporter that about 800 branch leaders and members are expected at the gathering. They are from as far as Limbang and Lawas in northern Sarawak as well as Lundu and Bau in western Sarawak.

Faction leader Dr James Masing has over the last few days repeatedly denied reports they are going ahead with plans to set up a rival supreme council or hold an extraordinary general meeting or a triennial delegates conference.

Resolutions

But Masing (photo), who aspires to be PBDS president along with vice president Sng Chee Hua as deputy president, is certain to use the opportunity to show his strong grass-root support, according to some observers.

"They could pass a resolution condemning the action of the new party leadership in terminating the appointment of the seven members, including Masing, in the supreme council," the sources said.

Another resolution could possibly be to petition for an extraordinary general meeting to press further with the group's demands, if the present leadership wants to avert a permanent split within the party or even the possibility of its break-up, they added.

Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has been invited to perform the official ground-breaking ceremony of the new Kapit to Balleh road. The media in Sibu has, however, been informed that Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu is likely to represent Taib as the latter is said to have gone on official leave.

At a Wanita Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (Wanita PBB) seminar yesterday, the chief minister was represented by PBB senior vice-president and state agricultural and food industries minister Adenan Satem.

Meanwhile, the PBDS credentials committee headed by veteran leader Dr Jawie Masing started its sitting yesterday and it is expected to go on for the next few days to sort out branches that are eligible to attend and send delegates to vote.

Eligible branches

According to PBDS secretary-general Stanley Ajang, only 165 out of 259 registered branches will be considered by the committee, following the supreme council's decision that only branches existing up to August 24, 2002 will be eligible to attend if they are given the green light by the credentials committee.

One of the things that the three-member credentials committee will decide is the date for sending out nomination forms for branches to nominate candidates wishing to stand for party election later this month.

Any member wishing to contest the president's post will need nominations from no less than 30 per cent of all branches. The intending candidate for the deputy presidency must be able to garner at least 25 per cent support from branches.

Meanwhile, a pro-Tajem/Salang faction supporter has acknowledged the apparent split within the women's wing, after its chief Agnes Lia issued a statement two days ago giving her support to the party's new leadership.

"Lia is basically a party person," said PBDS information chief Paul Kadang." She supports the party leadership."

Following the SC's recent decision, both the women and youth wings will send three delegates each to the TDC.

The youth wing is firmly in the control of its leader Joseph Entulu, an assistant minister and one of those removed as appointed SC members.

Vice-president Peter Runin told reporters yesterday that most of the records for the youth wing had been removed from party headquarters.

"Even my own branch record is not with the party headquarters. The rest are locked in one of the boxes left by the rival faction, and we have no access to them."

"Even if only one branch attend, the youth delegates conference will go on," he added.

The party headquarters has fixed July 25 as the date for the youth and women sections to hold their triennial delegates conference at the Rajah Court Hotel in Kuching.

BN mediator

Meanwhile, in a front-page report in the English-language tabloid Malaysian Today, Masing was quoted as saying he would only agree to talks with his rival Tajem for the post of president at the coming TDC "if there is an outsider mediator, preferably from the Barisan Nasional."

He, however, ruled out any possibility of making any public apology as demanded by Tajem, saying, "I have done nothing to apologise for I have done no wrong...."

Dublin Unting, one of Masing's staunch supporters and an assistant minister, said he saw little prospects of any reconciliation after what he described as the "high-handedness of Tajem," especially in the removal of the pro-Masing appointed members in the SC.