The announcement in Kuching yesterday of Ambrose Blikau Enturan, 49 as the new secretary-general of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the backbone of Sarawak's four-member ruling coalition, took many by surprise.

Earlier, former PBB Youth leader Gramong Juna, the assistant minister for rural development, had been widely expected to be appointed secretary-general after the party's convention in mid-July, succeeding Leonard Linggi Jugah, who retired after 23 years as secretary-general.

"When Gramong was asked to give way to Douglas Uggah, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, for the Youth post he was promised the secretary-general post," according to well-informed sources.

"Although he was naturally disappointed, Gramong accepted the decision as the right and prerogative of the party leadership," the sources added.

Closely identified with Linggi, Gramong was formerly with Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) and switched to PBB after the infamous Ming Court revolt against Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in 1987.

Instead, PBB senior vice president Adenan Satem (photo), the state minister of agriculture and food industries, on behalf of PBB president Abdul Taib, announced after a pre-state legislative assembly meeting that Gramong had been appointed to the party's supreme council along with eight others.

A PBB loyalist

Ambrose, on the other hand, has been a PBB loyalist. He was brought into politics by Linggi at the height of the 1987 crisis in the state Barisan Nasional to contest the Iban-majority Katibas seat on a BN/PBB ticket.

He served briefly as assistant minister and was later appointed managing director of a state-owned airline company Hornbills Skyways until he was re-appointed assistant minister after winning the Katibas seat uncontested in last year's state elections.

Ambrose is now said to be closely aligned with PBB deputy president Alfred Jabu anak Numpang, who is one of Sarawak's two deputy chief ministers, as well with other top party leaders, including Adenan and re-appointed party treasurer Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, the assistant minister of resource planning and management.

Assistant minister in the Chief Minister's Office Bolhassan Di remains as deputy secretary-general while another assistant minister Wahab Dolah remains as information chief with a political secretary to the Chief Minister, Nelson Kloni Kanang, as his assistant.

The newly-appointed list of nine PBB supreme council members is seen as significant in who had been excluded.

A former PBB senator Janggu Banyang, the Meluan division chief, who did not contest for supreme council posts, was not appointed to the council.

Also not appointed were former member of parliament for Kapit James Jimbun, the Balleh division chief, and a former chairman of the Sarawak Housing and Development Commission and former Kakus division chief Musa Giri.

Johari's men excluded

Other notable exclusions from the list of appointed supreme council members were the Kalaka state assemblyman Abdul Wahab Aziz (who was replaced as an assistant secretary-general by Bangka state assemblyman Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah) and assistant minister of housing Dr Abang Draup Haji Zain, who lost in the supreme council elections in July.

Draup is said to be closely aligned with PBB deputy president (2) Abang Johari Tun Openg (photo), the minister of tourism. Several of Johari's staunch supporters lost in their bids for posts in both the Youth and main body in the July convention.

According to political analysts, the complete PBB new line-up is indicative that Taib wants his own team to be built up with Adenan, supported by other senior leaders like Jabu and Awang Tengah, possibly to take charge of the party and to prepare for his own exit eventually both at the helm of the party and the state government.

PBB has also set up a parliamentary caucus and all its senators, members of parliament and state assemblymen are automatically members. One of its main functions is to recommend among them an assemblyman to be chief minister as and when it is necessary to do so, and that whoever is chosen to be chief minister from that party also automatically becomes president of PBB.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini correspondent based in Kuching, Sarawak.