Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) information chief Dr James Jemut Masing is expected to announce his decision to stand for president at the forthcoming triennial delegates conference (TDC) at a press conference tomorrow.

The Malaysian Information Services today sent out a note to editors that the press conference would take place at a luxury hotel in Kuching at 10am.

Masing - who is also state minister for social development and urbanisation - is being urged by a reportedly growing number of party branches to contest for the top post with party vice-president Sng Chee Hua ( photo ) as his running mate for the deputy president post.

The Masing-Sng alliance claims to have garnered more than enough nominations - but this has yet to be formally registered - from branches to qualify to contest for the two top posts.

The duo are also expected to announce their own line-up for the 20 elected posts in the party supreme council.

The president appoints individuals to three key posts - secretary-general, treasurer-general and information chief as well as seven other supreme council posts.

At tomorrow's press conference, the Masing-Sng alliance is also expected to urge the supreme council - who will meet o­n Saturday - to hold the TDC either in August or September this year.

It is widely expected that the supreme council meeting - to be chaired by outgoing president Leo Moggie - will discuss the date for the TDC.

Internal developments

PBDS secretary-general Stanley Ajang told malaysiakini today that the supreme council would discuss internal developments but did not indicate whether the next TDC's date would be o­n the agenda.

On Monday, Masing told reporters that he would not attend the meet as he would be overseas o­nministerial duties. His supporters within the council are also expected to be absent.

This will leave o­nly the elected and appointed members who are known to be aligned to Moggie and support deputy president Daniel Tajem for the presidency and treasurer-general Joseph Sallang Gandum ( photo ) for deputy president.

Ajang said the supreme council will discuss steps to be taken to ensure that all established rules and regulations pertaining to the holding of branch annual general meetings, the election of branch office-bearers, and the procedures for sending delegates to the TDC would all be followed.

"We expect that branches would at least notify us of the date, time and place when branch meetings and elections are held," he said, adding that otherwise they might not be eligible to send delegates to the TDC to take part in the election process.

He said branches formed up to Aug 24 last year would o­nly be eligible to send delegates to the TDC provided they had followed the rules and procedures in holding of their AGMs, including the election of branch office-bearers.

Ajang added that o­nce the date of the TDC is announced, a credentials committee would be established to decide o­n the final elgibility of branches to attend and send delegates to the conference.

President's feelings

Asked if the supreme council members would persuade Moggie to remain, as desired by a growing number of branches, he replied: "We will continue to persuade him to change his mind about stepping down."

He said Moggie was away for two weeks in New Zealand recently and the party headquarters kept him informed about the developments here.

The supreme council meeting will be held at Dewan Suarah in Marudi, the administrative headquarters of Baram District.

The newly-appointed executive secretary of PBDS Henry Lian, a former senior Shell Malaysia executive, will attend the meeting for the first time along with other staff from the party headquarters in Kuching.

In another development, malaysiakini learnt that PBDS Youth chief Joseph Entulu, who is pro-Masing, will hold a dinner gathering in house tonight for party members from all over the state, including the leaders of branches that have declared support for the Masing-Sng alliance.