Call it usurpation of powers or the case of a leader who is not in control of his own party. This seems to be the impression of many, after a recent twist of events within the troubled Sarawak Barisan Nasional's Iban-based Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), led by Energy, Multimedia and Communications Minister, Leo Moggie.

Someone had given a list comprising the party's line-up of candidates for the forthcoming state elections to the chief minister and Sarawak BN chairman Abdul Taib Mahmud a day after Dr Mahathir Mohammad's visit to the state last month for the official opening of a RM3.8 billion wafer fab facility in Kuching. Apparently, a copy had also found its way into the hands of the prime minister.

The letter in Bahasa Malaysia, signed by PBDS vice-president and BN assemblyman for Pelagus, Sng Chee Hua, indicated that all incumbents, including Sng, were being re-nominated. A copy of the letter was also extended to Leo Moggie.

Sources told malaysiakini the letter was the outcome of the party's political affairs committee meeting chaired by Sng in the absence of PBDS deputy president Daniel Tajem and the committee chairman.

It was reported that Tajem was not even aware of the meeting which was held when he was away in New Zealand where he had served a four-year term until last year as the Malaysian envoy.

According to the sources, the letter was delivered to the chief minister's office by PBDS publicity chief Dr James Jemut Masing, who lost to Tajem last year by a big margin in the contest for the post of deputy president.

Moggie upset

Dr Masing and Sng, previously seen as arch-enemies, have now found a common ground of working together, said the sources.

Moggie fumed when he got the letter and tried in vain to reach Dr Masing who is also social development and urbanisation minister. Sng, when confronted later, said the letter was in Bahasa Malaysia and he was merely asked to sign it.

A member of the PBDS supreme council who spoke on condition of anonymity said the party's leader showed him the letter and was visibly very angry at having been by-passed.

"The political affairs committee is not a selection process committee," he said, adding that the party has yet to set up a selection committee which has to be chaired either by the president or by someone appointed by him.

He said at any rate, a list of candidates drawn up by a selection committee has to be endorsed first by the party's supreme council before it can be submitted to the BN state leadership. PBDS has seven elected state assemblymen, including Masing and Sng.

But following the bitter feud leading to last year's party elections in which most of those aligned to Masing lost to Tajem's men, there have been moves to replace some of the incumbents, including Bukit Bagunan's Mong Dagang, and Kakus' John Sikie.

Sng, was at the time accused by Masing's side of being behind Tajem's group in engineering the former's defeat. But ,according to the PBDS supreme council member, the letter was not discussed during the council's meeting in Sg Asap near Bakun last week, although a number of members wanted to do so.

"The president felt it would be better to deal with it at his own level," said the sources.

Interesting developments

Observers say, Sng's realignment of his political position within PBDS, especially his recent rapprochement with Masing ,who is also known for his close ties to Taib, is interesting as it has led to new grounds of speculation.

Why has Sng, who has given indications that he wants his 22-year-old son, Larry, who is a graduate of the London School of Economics to take over in Pelagus, shift his support to Masing?

"He probably feels he has a better chance of getting what he wants through Masing, who enjoys the confidence of the chief minister," say the observers.

When opening the party's triennial conference last year, Taib more or less openly urged support for Masing, saying that he is the kind of leader he wants to build up for the future. Even after losing the contest for the deputy president's post, Abdul Taib promoted Masing to a more important ministry to look after social development and urbanisation matters. He was previously with the tourism ministry.

Losing grip

Observers point out the latest episode clearly indicates that despite being the party's leader, Moggie has no control over it. It seems he is now caught in between. Previously there has been a great deal of pressure on him from certain quarters to make as little changes as possible to the party's line-up.

But to acquiesce to this, would mean alienating his deputy and old-time political buddy Tajem, who is a highly-respected Iban intellectual and leader. To drop some of the incumbents would mean having to bring in new names or some old faces like Tajem. This may not go down well with Taib.

Abdul Taib has made it known among his confidantes that he does not favour Tajem being brought back into active politics. Tajem resigned as deputy chief minister from Taib's cabinet to challenge the Sarawak BN following the 1987 Ming Court Affair.

It is obvious that Abdul Taib has not forgotten the matter, although some of his colleagues in the cabinet today were with the 'Anti-Taib Maju' group led by former head of state and chief minister, Abdul Rahman Yakub.

Informed sources say what is likely to happen now is that the upcoming state elections will probably not see even a single seat returned unopposed, with the Barisan Alternatif (BA) parties and allies such as the Sarawak Reform Party (Star) as well as former Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu's (PBB) group of independents joining in the fray.

Growing internal dissent within a few BN component parties seem to suggest that their choices of official candidates could be challenged by their own men.

Already, several PBDS divisions throughout Sarawak have said if Tajem is not included in the list they will not support the BN candidates. This suggests that in many areas where such dissent is rife, the elections may see perhaps more than a three-cornered fight.

TONY THIEN is a freelance writer based in Kuching.