A potentially major dispute over rightful claim to support from the majority of branches is likely to erupt in the two rival factions' bid to wrest control of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS).

With both factions saying they have submitted separately to party headquarters the reports and annual returns from almost equal number of branches, the likely duplicity of branches is being acknowledged.

"We foresee this," PBDS vice president Peter Runin told malaysiakini o­n his return from a visit to Lawas today.

He is aligned to the faction supporting party deputy president and presidential aspirant Daniel Tajem and treasurer-general and Julau member of parliament Joseph Salang Gandum.

"They can always go back to the records (kept in party headquarters)," Runin said, adding that it would be best to let the credentials committee makes the final decision o­n the matter.

In the meantime, according to Runin, the party headquarters should be allowed to scrutinise all reports and annual returns from branches as they come in before they are forwarded to the Registrar of Societies.

"(The reports and annual returns of) 185 branches are with party headquarters now. Some have been forwarded to the ROS, the rest are being processed," he added.

Runin said as far as he is aware, the credentials committee, expected to be set up after the party's supreme council meeting later this month to pick a date for the triennial delegates conference (TDC), will o­nly consider branches already processed, rectified and registered with the ROS.

Branches to be TKO?

He indicated the possibility of some branches being "technically knocked out" if proper procedures and provisions of party constitution are not followed.

One such procedure, according to him, is that branches are required to submit their reports and annual returns to party headquarters, then processed and rectified before submission to the ROS, instead of going directly to the ROS.

He was referring to reports that the ROS had advised the Masing-Sng faction when they tried to submit the 41 boxes containing the reports and annual returns of 159 branches directly to the ROS o­n Tuesday to go through party headquarters instead.

The faction will be submitting the reports and annual returns of another 22 branches to the party headquarters tomorrow.

Their spokesman Sidi Munan, who is also PBDS supreme council member, had told PBDS executive secretary Henry Lian that by no means should the party headquarters open the boxes and that the task should be left o­nly to the credentials committee o­nce it has been set up.

Reacting to this, PBDS secretary-general Stanley Ajang said the party would obey the instructions not to open the boxes before the credentials committee is formed.

Meanwhile, Masing confirmed that his group had told party headquarters the reports and annual returns of 177 branches kept under lock originally in eight metal boxes and delivered to party headquarters o­n March 31 as "null and void."

Against party's struggle

Masing, who is also social development and urbanisation minister, also came out to defend his running mate Sng Chee Hua, saying that although a Chinese, he (Sng) has every right to contest in any post in the Dayak-based party.

Referring to calls from the rival faction o­n Sng not to contest and instead to leave the two top party posts to Dayaks to fight it out, Masing said such a call was "against the spirit of unilateralism" which he tried to promote in his campaign for the top post.

He described the move to stop Sng from contesting the No 2 post as against "the party's struggle and principle."

Meanwhile, Runin described the attempt by some members of the rival faction to link the recent visit by his group leaders to Kapit with certain leaders in Sarawak National Party (Snap) as trying to involve the top state leadership.

According to him, it was true that some of the junior leaders of PBDS in their private capacities attended a pre-Gawai function at the longhouse in Mujong in Balleh of a senior Snap leader.

"They are all personal friends and meet socially o­n a regular basis even in Kuching," he explained. But as far as the Kapit dinner last week was concerned, he said it was organised by PBDS for members in Kapit and Pelagus.

"Even though we know we do not have high hopes, nevertheless we wanted them to hear our side of the stor as to why we cannot support Masing and Sng," Runin said.

"A lot of them were tuai rumah who came and just listened," he added.

More than 200 people, most of whom Runin described as PBDS members, attended the dinner.

The Masing-Sng faction claimed that most of those who attended were Snap members.