Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) vice-president Sng Chee Hua has been widely rumoured to be planning to resign from the party over what party insiders claim as "increasing pressures" from within the ruling state Barisan Nasional coalition.

A top party leader confided to malaysiakini today that Sng, a corporate figure and long-time party financier, has informed his supporters that he might give up his plan to contest the deputy president's post in the upcoming party election.

According to him, party stalwarts generally feel that it was not "appropriate" for Sng, a Chinese, to be deputy president of the Dayak-based PBDS.

Widespread rumours

"While the party appreciates Sng's sacrifices and contributions, accepting him as the No 2 in the party may not go down well with the grassroots," he said.

Rumours of Sng's impending resignation have been making its rounds in Sarawak over the past week.

The media first brought it up from some politicians aligned to the Daniel Tajem-Joseph Salang camp who claimed they heard about Sng's purported intention to resign from others.

Although his office was inundated with phone calls and SMS, Sng was unavailable for comment with o­ne report even suggesting he was flying off to London to visit a relative. All this turned out to be untrue.

Only a report in Sarawak daily Sunday Tribune made some mention about the rumours of Sng's impending resignation, but volunteered no reason for it.

Kapit call

Meanwhile, another local newspaper Borneo Post carried a report today of a call by several party leaders aligned to the Tajem-Salang faction to Sng not to contest for the deputy presidency. The call was made at a party dinner in Kapit o­n Sunday night.

Kapit is Sng's hometown and political base. His son, Larry Sng, is the state assembly representative for Pelagus, a constituency covering Kapit town.

PBDS vice-president Peter Runin, aligned to the Tajem-Salang faction, was reported as saying at the Kapit dinner that the party should not gamble by choosing Sng as deputy president as the party No 2 would be the next in line to take over the Dayak-based party when the president is incapacitated for o­ne reason or another

There has been no other reaction from the other faction o­n the latest visit of the group to Kapit.

Sng is said to be the key leader in his alliance with state minister Dr James Masing ( photo ) who is making a bid for the party's top post. There are now fears that Sng's fate may derail the group's campaign for control of the party.

Malaysiakini

also understands that party leaders from the two factions had updated Chief Minister and Sarawak BN chairperson Abdul Taib Mahmud o­n developments in the party in recent days and Sng featured prominently in the discussions.

Sng became notoriously famous several years ago after he was sued by an Australian casino for gambling debts amounting to several million ringgit. He later settled the debts.

Extra day

Meanwhile, PBDS secretary-general Stanley Ajang said that the closing date for branches to submit their reports and annual returns has been extended to this Friday.

This is because May 15 - the deadline - is Wesak Day and a national public holiday, and the party headquarters in Kuching will be closed.

"Those who have not done so need not worry - they can always submit the next working day (Friday)."

He gave this assurance after PBDS supreme council member Sidi Munan, who is aligned to the Masing-Sng faction, told malaysiakini he thought fixing May 15 as the last day for branches to submit their reports and annual returns in preparation for the party's triennial delegates conference (TDC) was an oversight that he considered as "rather stupid".