Chief Minister and Sarawak Barisan Nasional chairperson Abdul Taib Mahmud has said he does not want to interfere with the internal affairs of crisis-ridden Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS).

Assistant Minister Dublin Unting who is also PBDS information chief aligned to the Masing-Sng faction quoted Taib as saying this during their meeting with him yesterday.

"He leaves it to the Registrar of Societies to decide (on the dispute concerning the legitimacy of
leadership claim by the rival factions)," he added.

The Masing faction, according to Dublin, met the chief minister to update him on developments within the party and also to hand over a copy of their report for the ROS.

The other faction is led by Daniel Tajem, a former deputy chief minister.

Reports in

The two factions recently held separate triennial delegate conferences and set up rival supreme
councils. They are now leaving it to the ROS to decide on the lawfully-elected party leadership.

Tajem, returned unopposed as president during the July 26-27 TDC, handed over their report to the ROS in Putra Jaya yesterday with a copy to Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi through his senior political secretary.

Today, the Tajem group which also includes vice presidents Gabriel Adit and Jewah Gerang and secretary-general Stanley Ajang will be meeting the Barisan Nasional secretary-general Mohamad Rahmat to brief him on the latest development in the party. They are also expected to hand over a copy of the report to Rahmat.

Meanwhile, according to Dublin, Taib yesterday also assured Dr James Masing, who is the state minister of social development and urbanisation, that he would keep the present state cabinet line-up "as this is his prerogative."

This means that unless there are good reasons to do so, he will retain Masing as well as two other PBDS leaders Dublin and Joseph Entulu (another assistant minister) in his cabinet.

According to PBDS constitution, party representation in the state cabinet is on the party's recommendations.

CM's choice

"Although the Tajem faction has not asked for any replacement, it is up to the chief minister whether he wants to observe the PBDS constitution or not," a leader aligned to the faction said.

Rumours have been making their round in Kuching over the last two days that the ROS has already communicated with the Masing faction regarding the legal status of their TDC in Bintulu held on July 24.

But the Assistant Registrar of Societies Sarawak Wan Mohammad Wan Ahmad told malaysiakini if there had been any communication to this effect it had not come from his office in Kuching. "Maybe from other sources," he added.

Asked whether his office had communicated with the party within the last few days, he replied in the affirmative, saying that the communication was with the registered office of the party in Jalan Wan Alwi.

"This is to ask the party to submit their annual returns (following their TDC)," he added.