Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) president Leo Moggie has given up attempts to avert a contest for the party's top posts at the forthcoming triennial delegates conference.

Moggie's aide Aaron Mong was quoted today in The Sarawak Tribune as saying that the party leader had indicated as much during recent meetings with members in two major towns in Sarawak.

Mong is a political secretary to the prime minister and is assigned to Moggie who is also the federal minister for energy, communications and multimedia.

Moggie has ruled himself out of the running for the PBDS presidency, saying that he will not change his mind about stepping down. The stage is set for two rival factions to send in their candidates.

Lines drawn

Malaysiakini understands that Moggie met with Sarawak Chief Minister and state Barisan Nasional chief Abdul Taib Mahmud last week. While details of their meeting have been kept under wraps, it is believed that the crisis within PBDS was discussed.

PBDS deputy president Daniel Tajem is Moggie's choice as successor. Tajem has chosen party treasurer-general and Julau member of Parliament Joseph Salang Gandum as his running mate for deputy president.

Tajem himself will be challenged by information chief Dr James Jemut Masing ( far left ) whose running mate is Sng Chee Hua ( left ), o­ne of the five current vice-presidents.

The Borneo Post quoted Tajem o­n Monday as saying that prospects for any last-minute compromise were extremely remote.

Gandum has proposed stepping aside in favour of Masing if the latter agrees to become deputy president to avoid contest for the post of president.

Masing has rejected the offer, saying that he has to listen to party branches which want him to contest the post. His group claims to have the support of 177 of the 206 branches.

The Sarawak Tribune quoted Tajem as saying that - unlike during the previous conference three years ago, when he defended his deputy presidency against Masing's challenge - the contest this time around "will be o­n the question of principles and not between personalities".

Observers said this implied that Tajem believes that a larger issue concerns the aspirations and interests of the Dayak community, which the party has vowed to protect and promote.

Annual returns

Meanwhile, several branches supporting the Masing faction have submitted their annual returns to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) in Kuching.

Miri division chief Richard Wil, also a supreme council member, said he had submitted the records of nine branches.

Assistant registrar Wan Mohammad Wan Ahmad confirmed receipt of the annual returns from a number of branches, but could not say which had done so to date.

PBDS secretary-general Stanley Ajang Batok, also the Belaga state assembly representative, said he was not aware of any such action by the branches.

"As far as I am concerned, we will o­nly do so after May 15, the extended deadline by when all branches must submit their annual returns to the party headquarters," he added.

Observers attribute this latest move by the Masing group to a lack of confidence that the headquarters will accept the returns of branches that have endorsed its candidates. Two weeks ago, the group sent in the annual returns of 171 branches.

The seven boxes will o­nly be opened o­n May 15 in the presence of representatives from both sides, according to Batok.