The only excitement in Sarawak's Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) polls early next month is a straight fight for the deputy Youth chief post.

Kuching-based Malay lawyer-businessman Ibrahim Baki is said to have received the green light from the party president Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is also Sarawak chief minister, to contest the Youth wing's No 2 post, which has become vacant since the incumbent, Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, is over the age limit.

He is now expected to face a direct contest with Asajaya state assemblyperson Abdul Karim Hamzah, a fellow Malay lawyer and a political secretary to the chief minister, said to have the backing of several senior PBB leaders, including Awang Tengah.

The PBB Youth head is Assistant Minister Gramond Juna, an Iban from the Pesaka wing, and he is expected to be returned unopposed in line with the leadership's desire to see no contest for all top party posts, including in the Youth and Women's wings.

The Youth wing will meet on July 5 and 6, and Taib will declare open the joint session of the Youth and Women's wings.

This will be followed by PBB Convention on July 7 to be declared open by the Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Blessing from the top

Malaysiakini understands that Ibrahim, closely aligned to PBB deputy president and Minister of Tourism Johari Tun Openg, approached the chief minister last weekend during the joint opening of a meeting of PBB's five predominantly-Malay divisions in Kuching — Pantai Damai, Demak Laut, Tupong, Satok and Semeriang — at the Santubong Kuching Resort, about 25km from Kuching.

According to a divisional chief who was present during the brief meeting but asked not to be identified, Ibrahim sought Taib's blessing to contest the No 2 post and was told he could go ahead.

Ibrahim had earlier told the party president that if he (Taib) already had a candidate in mind, he would gladly withdraw and support his choice.

"You can go ahead and contest," Taib told a delighted Ibrahim who had waited for six years for an opportunity to move up the party's hierarchy.

Also present during the meeting were several senior PBB leaders, including the two deputy presidents, Alfred Jabu anak Numpang and Abang Johari, former federal agriculture minister Dr Sulaiman Daud, PBB Women's chief and Assistant Minister of Welfare Services and Women Affairs Sharifah Mordiah Tuanku Fauzi and several divisional chiefs.

Earlier, there had been talk that Abdul Karim, whose father Abdul Rahman Hamzah was in the early 70s a political secretary to Taib when he was a federal minister, had the backing of the party's top leadership to fill in the Youth No 2 post.

Great ambitions

Although he had always been assured by party supporters they could garner enough support for him to clinch victory if he contested, Ibrahim Baki, however, was initially reluctant to have his name put forward as a candidate without first clearing with the party leadership.

In spite of his seniority, he had twice given way to Awang Tengah for the Youth deputy chief post, and had remained as one of the wing's vice-chairpersons.

Malaysiakini understands that the chief minister also suggested that he (Ibrahim Baki) should work closely with the Pantai Damai state assemblyperson Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi by bringing him in as one of the three vice-chairpersons in the Youth wing. However, he made no mention of Abdul Karim's name.

Ibrahim had told malaysiakini recently that if his candidacy was not favoured by the top leadership in the party, he would give his backing to Abdul Rahman, a private medical practitioner, for the Youth No 2 post.

Abdul Karim, although less senior than Ibrahim, is said to harbour great ambitions and has been campaigning for the Youth No 2 post with the support of several senior PBB leaders.

It is not known whether Abdul Karim will now go ahead to contest the deputy post. According to some party leaders, he may re-consider his decision.

Division chiefs

Meanwhile, as speculated by malaysiakini earlier, federal Deputy Foreign Minister Dr Leo Michael Toyad, a Melanau Christian from Mukah, has been elected head of the Limbang division, replacing civil engineer-businessman Abdullah Mohd Noor who becomes his deputy.

Leo Toyad is also the deputy head of the Mukah division which is headed by Taib.

Of PBB's 11 members of parliament, only two are not divisional chiefs — Sulaiman (Petra Jaya) and Sukinam Domo (Batang Sadong).

On the sidelines of the PBB divisional gathering at Santubong, Taib suggested during lunch with several senior PBB leaders that Sulaiman should head a division, and one of the divisions he mentioned was Batu Kawa near Kuching.

However, in what is said to be an attempt to block him out by some unnamed party leaders, the Batu Kawa division went ahead with its meeting on Sibu and re-elected businessman Hashim Yap as its head.

Sukinam, a former senior education officer before going into politics, is said to be the least concerned at now being offered a division to head, although the party's supreme council has directed elected representatives should be divisional heads. No reason has been given why she has not been offered any.

PBB has 62 divisions throughout Sarawak.