Leaders of the two rival factions in Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) met with Home Ministry officials in Putrajaya yesterday over their dispute and even returned to Kuching on the same flight. This morning, they delivered contradictory statements on the outcome of the meeting.

In effect, each now claims that Registrar of Societies (ROS) Dahari Ibrahim has ruled that the triennial delegates conference (TDC) organised by the rival faction was illegal.

Daniel Tajem and Dr James Masing - both of whom claim to hold the president's post - were invited to the meeting yesterday afternoon.

Together, they met Dahari and Home Ministry secretary-general Aseh Che Mat, who was standing in for Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. They then returned to Kuching late last night.

Fierce infighting over the top posts has kept the party in the headlines since last year, and this has escalated since long-time president Leo Moggie (right) vacated the post on June 25 this year.

Tajem, as deputy, held the reins of the party until the TDC could be held as scheduled in Kuching on July 26-27. He was duly elected president.

By then, however, Masing's faction had gone ahead with its own TDC in Bintulu on July 24, electing him as president.

Both sides have since submitted reports to the ROS, seeking a ruling on the legality of various matters linked to the election process.

Tajem's version

At a packed press conference in PBDS headquarters this morning, Tajem (left) disclosed his version of the meeting.

"Aseh first addressed Dr Masing in a succinct manner to say that the Bintulu TDC is tak sah or illegal or invalid, and that a letter to that effect would be given to him.

"Then he turned to his right (to where I was sitting) and he said, ' Datuk, you will also be given a show-cause with 30 days to reply'.

"It was probably a little impertinent of me, but I asked 'Datuk, what is the import of the letter? And he replied 'You will be given the contents of the letter. You will see it'."

Tajem described the document as a show-cause letter dated Oct 6 and signed by the ROS, and served under Section 13 of the Societies Act.

"Rightly, they have power to inquire (and ask for clarification if) they want an explanation of certain ambiguities in our submissions," Tajem said, explaining that the information required was linked to certain issues involving 29 branches.

"We will do that (reply) within the next week or two. We have records of all that transpired before and during the TDC."

He also said the grounds for serving the letter indicate that the contents do not have anything to do with leadership issues, as this would be covered under Section 16 of the Act.

Aseh handed over the letter, which was addressed to the party secretary-general at the registered address of the headquarters in Jalan Wan Alwi, Kuching.

One copy was extended to Tajem who was addressed as PBDS president on the envelope, while another copy was for treasurer-general Anthony Liman (appointed recently by Tajem).

Tajem claimed that, since the Bintulu TDC had been deemed illegal and invalid, it would follow that "any act or deed done by an illegally elected body must also be necessarily illegal".

Masing's version

Masing (right) acknowledged separately today that he had been told that the Bintulu TDC was illegal because it had not been conducted according to the party's rules.

However, he also claimed that the ROS had said "both TDCs were illegal", not just the one in Bintulu.

He further acknowledged having taken receipt of a letter from the ROS, he declined to reveal the contents, saying that this was "between me and the ROS".

Masing told reporters that he would reply to the ROS within the stipulated period of 30 days.

Ministry advice

Meanwhile, Tajem said Aseh had advised him and Masing to try and work as a team.

Tajem said a political solution would be a logical move now that the ROS has determined that the Bintulu TDC was "illegal". However, he also said he had to discuss the matter with the supreme council to reach a decision.

Masing confirmed the gist of Aseh's advice, saying there was mention of a compromise, but also wondered if it was too late to discuss the patching-up of differences.

Tajem further said Moggie, who is attending the Asean conference in Bali, had called him this morning to ask about the latest developments.

"I said we would reply to the ROS' letter to clear any doubts that may persist with regard to matters (relating to) the branches," he added.

Malaysiakini's attempts to reach the ROS to clarify the situation today were unsuccessful.