Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) newly-elected president Daniel Tajem has re-appointed Belaga state assemblyperson Stanley Ajang as secretary-general and retained several others in key posts in the party's supreme council.

Ajang, who comes from an indigenous group called the Kayan in Ulu Belaga in central Sarawak, is a geologist by training. He is now a major contractor whose company is part of the consortium building the multi-billion-ringgit Bakun hydro-electric dam.

He was first appointed to the post three years after the party's 2000 triennial delegates conference (TDC) by the then president Leo Moggie.

Ajang's re-appointment as secretary-general was announced after the party's first post-TDC supreme council meeting chaired by Tajem.

Tajem also announced the appointment of Paul Kadang, an Iban MA graduate running a consultancy business, as the party's information chief. The post was until recently held by state minister of social development and urbanisation Dr James Masing.

No treasurer-general

But he left the post of treasurer-general vacant following the elevation of the Julau member of parliament Joseph Salang as deputy president after Tajem and his group were returned unopposed when nominations closed on July 11.

It is understood that meantime Salang, who is a successful Dayak businessman, will take care of the party's finance until a new appointment is made.

Today's SC meeting also agreed on the appointment of chairpersons to head various bureaux, including those dealing with disciplinary, economic, welfare and education and political issues.

Commenting on his re-appointment, Ajang told malaysiakini that he was honoured at being re-appointed and pledged to do his best for the party.

The Tajem-Salang faction has been greatly bolstered by the formal endorsement of the new leadership under Tajem by the party's former president Leo Moggie who officiated at the opening of the party's 6th triennial delegates conference yesterday.

Moggie, who is Energy, Communications and Multimedia, is a highly respected Dayak leader and his public endorsement of Tajem, his deputy in the party for the last 20 years, as the legitimate president of PBDS is also seen as likely to have impact on things to come on the question of finding an ultimate solution to the leadership issue within the party.

Direct response

Both in his speech at the opening of the TDC, attended by about 2000 delegates and observers from party's branches throughout Sarawak, and at a press conference that followed, Moggie not only came out with his public endorsement of the new party leadership with Tajem as president but also stated that he believed that they (Tajem and his group) had followed all rules and procedures in the run-up to the recent party nominations of candidates for the various key posts.

Usually, a man of few words in public who tried on many occasions to avoid giving direct answers to questions, this time, however, Moggie was more open.

In reply to a reporter's question, he said: " Yes, I recognise Daniel Tajem as the legitimate president of the party."

Pressed further as to whether he thought there still might be a chance for the two factions to patch up their differences, inspite of what had already taken place, he said they should try, but at the same time appeared to indicate there might be little hope for this.

But he did not think the party would be de-registered, even though the Masing faction has continuously harped on this, obviously suggesting that 'if they (the Masing faction) cannot get what they want the party could very well head in that direction,' according to one well-versed local political commentator.

But Moggie's expression of hope for some form of reconciliation was immediately rejected by the Masing faction. One of its leaders, Dublin Unting, who is the information chief for their faction, described Moggie's call as 'a camouflage.'

Dublin, an assistant state minister and a former party secretary-general, said Moggie should not have said on one hand he is endorsing Tajem as the new party leader and on the other he hopes there could be a reconciliation.

At any rate, according to Dublin, Moggie is a past president and "whatever he (Moggie) says has no weight on party matters now".

Dr James Masing, elected unopposed by his own supporters as president with Sng Chee Hua as his deputy, has so far kept mum on Moggie's public endorsement of Tajem.

Meanwhile, Moggie did not respond in a dinner speech last night to Tajem's remarks that if he (Moggie) should decide to want to stay on a member of parliament, the party would be all behind him and would also support him to continue as a federal minister.

MP, minister poser

Moggie had indicated generally to remarks by various PBDS leaders on two public occasions yesterday that it was unlikely he would ever change his mind about stepping down as member of parliament.

"I do not know how to explain to Liz (Moggie's wife) if I should change my mind," he said during the dinner celebrating his 25th anniversary in office as a federal minister. Moggie joined the Hussein Onn cabinet in July 1978.

Tajem, in his thank-you speech, said if Moggie was adamant about having a clean break altogether from active politics after all this "even though it is going to be tough we will try to find someone who can fit into his shoes."

One name that has cropped up recently as Moggie's likely successor in the federal cabinet is the newly-elected deputy president Joseph Salang.

Salang 50, is a Moggie protege and considered as an Iban with both high intellect and financial clout. He is also a director of Telekoms Malaysia.