The James Masing-Sng Chee Hua alliance is a 'contingency alternative plan' in case Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) president Leo Moggie changes his mind about stepping down, according to party deputy president Daniel Tajem.

Over the past o­ne week there has been a growing chorus of support from some party branches for Masing, the information chief, and Sng, o­ne of its vice-presidents, to stand for the top two posts respectively in the PBDS' triennial delegates conference (TDC) scheduled in September.

However, the resolution adopted at the joint annual general meeting of several branches in Sibu, Lundu, Selangau, Tamin and Kakus indicated that the first choice would be for Tajem to take over from Moggie with his rival, Masing, as deputy president.

This was based o­n a decision made by 160 branches at a gathering in Miri last April to support the two as their top leaders at the impending conference.

However, the pro-Masing/Sng branches said that if this agreement is not adhered to, then they would endorse Masing as president with Sng as his deputy.

Masing lost to Tajem for the deputy president's post in the party's TDC in 2000.

At a press conference following the latest developments in the party, Tajem, a former Sarawak deputy chief minister and former Malaysian envoy to New Zealand, said he was confident that Moggie would not change his mind about stepping down.

Tajem was also sure that the incumbent would put his (Tajem's) name forward for the president post at the conference.

Concerted effort

According to observers, there seems to be a concerted effort by certain groups to try and prevent party treasurer and member of parliament for Julau, Joseph Salang Gandum, from becoming deputy president after Tajem has moved up to the No 1 slot.

Salang, a wealthy Iban businessman and a close confidante and ally of Moggie, the federal minister of energy, telecommunications and multimedia, is seen as a fast-rising star within the party, and that Masing and even Tajem supporters want to check his meteoric rise. Salang is a first-term MP.

Tajem told reporters that the Masing-Sng alliance was a contingency alternative plan "that had been broached to anticipate the course of event that I might not be amenable to the idea of Moggie's ouster as the party president."

But he added that he had no doubt that Moggie ( photo ) would stick to his promise to step down. According to the Borneo Post in a report o­n the subject today, Moggie had told the paper that he would definitely step down.

"I am very serious about this. I want to step down in the next TDC (triennial delegates conference). I feel it's time for me to retire," he was quoted as saying.

What appears certain to most political analysts is that Masing, supported by Sng, a corporate leader who still has considerable influence within the party even when no longer an elected representative, will definitely go at least for the No 2 post, and that in the event of this happening, he will be pitted against Salang.

"It's a question of who controls most of the branches now," according to o­ne seasoned political observer. The party has some 300 branches and they have all been directed to hold their AGMs by the end of March.

Closing ranks

The party's central executive committee is meeting o­n March 15 in Marudi, Baram in northern Sarawak to possibly fix a date for the TDC. Of interest is whether Masing and his supporters, including a number of the party's elected representatives, will attend or will instead leave it to Moggie to fix a date.

Recent statements and actions o­n the ground would seem to indicate contrary to what had earlier been widely believed - that the two factions which were locked in a battle in the last TDC have not closed ranks.

With the next TDC now imminent, the two factions have started going down to the ground to garner support for themselves.

But unlike the de-registered Sarawak National Party (Snap), supporters linked to Moggie have considerable grassroots support themselves, maintain close links to the federal BN leadership and are financially more independent.

"They also have a strong hold o­n party administration," o­ne source said, adding that the party's secretary-general Stanley Ajang, who is the Belaga state assemblyperson, is chairperson and managing director of Edward & Sons Sdn Bhd, a Class A registered contractor that is involved, among other projects, in the consortium building the billion-ringgit Bakun dam.

No comments

Salang, when contacted, refused to comment o­n the latest developments in the party.

"I would rather not comment for the time being," he told malaysiakini before leaving o­n a business trip to Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Salang had told malaysiakini that he would be willing to put his name forward as candidate for the No 2 post if that is what the party leadership want.

Most observers say the likely scenario at the end of the day will be a contest for the two party posts between the candidates from the two factions - Tajem-Salang and Masing-Sng for the posts of president and deputy president respectively.

"It probably has to come to that at the end of the day, rather than try to do something quite futile - to reach a consensus or compromise in order to avoid a fight," o­ne political observer said.

"Moggie is probably in a hurry to get out and will probably leave it to the delegates to decide o­n their choices."