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" I don't know whether there is a crisis or not but there is definitely a leadership problem in the party," deputy president Law Hieng Ding (photo) told Bernama.

Law and Supp vice-president Yong Khoon Seng on Friday openly criticised party president Dr George Chan Hong Nam in a rare display of discontent within the Chinese-based party, founded in 1959 and the second largest state Barisan Nasional component member.

Law had claimed that Chan (photo, right) had failed to honour a 'gentleman's agreement' by not nominating him for a federal cabinet post if he won the recent parliamentary election.

Law, the former science, technology and environment minister, said it was on the basis of that 'gentleman's agreement' that he decided to contest in the polls for the last time.

"The fact that the 'gentleman's agreement' has not been upheld, calls into question the integrity of the highest echelon of the party leadership and the transparency and fairness of the party mechanism in the selection of candidates for government posts," he told a crowd of party members and supporters in Sarikei on Friday.

Law said today: "That's why I have proposed that there should be transparency and fairness in the party mechanism in the selection of candidates for government posts."

Law, who retained the Sarikei parliamentary constituency with a 11,599-vote majority, said he was not included in the new cabinet line-up because Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had respected the recommended list of names submitted by presidents of Barisan Nasional component parties.

CWC meeting

Asked if he would meet Abdullah on the 'leadership problem", Law said he would if he had a chance to do so.

Yong (photo), the works ministry's parliamentary secretary, has previously said that under Chan's leadership, there was no collective decision on major issues such as nomination of candidates for cabinet appointments.

He said that previously, the Supp central working committee would first discuss nominations for the cabinet and other major political appointments before any recommendation was made, adding that the selections were normally based on consensus.

Supp is expected to convene its central working committee (CWC) meeting at its party headquarters in Kuching this Friday to discuss the matter but Law said he was still undecided if he would attend the meeting.

During the March 21 polls, some party members also expressed unhappiness over the leadership's decision to field former Senator Wee Kok Tiong as the BN candidate for the Bandar Kuching constituency.

They claimed that the choice of candidate led to the BN's defeat at Bandar Kuching which was won by DAP candidate Chong Chieng Jen in a straight fight.

Bandar Kuching was the only seat the BN failed to win at the polls out of the 28 parliamentary seats in Sarawak.