There could be more than meets the eye in former Sarawak chief minister Abdul Rahman Yakub's sudden declaration of support for deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu to take over from his boss, Abdul Taib Mahmud.

NONE While none are willing to say much about the significance of Abdul Rahman's ( left ) action, the general consensus is that the timing is decidedly odd.

As DAP Sarawak state secretary Chong Chieng Jen put it, the issue of Taib's successor has nothing to do with the May 16 Sibu by-election.

"It is strange that this issue is raised at this juncture," he said when Malaysiakini met him in Sibu this morning.

On Monday, Abdul Rahman had declared Alfred as the most likely successor to Taib, by virtue of being Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu's (PBB) number two and for being widely accepted by all races in Sarawak.

Alfred promptly distanced himself from Abdul Rahman, issuing a statement the next day affirming his "full confidence in the very capable, fair, competent and visionary leadership of Abdul Taib as Sarawak Chief Minister, and fully support his continued leadership as chief minister".

alfred jabu PBB vice-president Daud Abdul Rahman followed up on Alfred's statement on Wednesday, saying it is not the right time to decide Taib's successor, and that the matter will be settled by an internal party caucus at the appropriate time.

It must be noted that this is not the first time Alfred's ( right ) name has been bandied about as Taib's potential successor, having been lumped together with deputy president II Abang Johari Openg and senior vice-president Awang Tengah Ali Hassan as heirs apparent during PBB's triennial delegates conference last March.

Abdul Rahman's move to openly declare support for a possible successor to Taib, however, may have been a long time coming, and may not even be directly related to Alfred himself.

Falling out of master and disciple

Abdul Rahman and Taib have a long history as mentor and protege, eventually leading to Taib's ascension to the chief ministership in 1981 at the behest of Abdul Rahman, who also happens to be his uncle and predecessor.

NONE But the relationship soured between the two, as Taib ( left ) chose very early on to chart his own course and ignore the political demands of his uncle, who had served as state governor for one term after making way for Abdul Taib.

Considering their past together, Abdul Rahman's recent support of Alfred could be seen as an attempt to return the favour to his wayward nephew by shaking up the PBB, thereby forcing his hand in appointing a successor.

And with the state Barisan Nasional machinery focused on the Sibu parliamentary seat for the next 11 days, it hints at a calculated move to accelerate Taib's retirement, but not on his terms.

NONE Chong ( right in pix ) noted that Taib's administration is not ready to face such a transition, as the chief minister still has his hands on pretty much everything in the state.

"From my observations, Taib does not have a succession plan in place. It looks like he wants to stay on as long as possible," he said.