Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) vice-president Sng Chee Hua's statement today insinuating that party president Leo Moggie is a 'racist' by advocating that the two top party posts should only be held by Dayaks has provoked immediate reaction within party circles.

Why Sng had decided to come out with a public statement on the issue so long after Moggie's comments made after the PBDS supreme council meeting last month has also led to much speculation.

In Sng's first public reaction to Moggie's comments on the issue, he also said that Moggie's remarks could be interpreted to mean that only the "Dayaks can help the Dayaks and that a Chinese cannot help his fellow countrymen from another race."

He suggested that if this was indeed Moggie's actual comments then he (Moggie) "had run foul of the Barisan Nasional's concept of promoting multi-racialism and the creation of Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian race)."

Crack in Masing's camp?

Further, he claimed, there was now even a proposal to turn the Barisan Nasional into a multi-racial party.

According to a Tajem-Salang group supporter, Sng's latest comments appear "to suggest a crack within the Masing-Sng faction with talks on the ground that Masing men may have already told their supporters to forget Sng if they don't want him as deputy president so long as they vote for Masing".

Moggie, who is Minister of Energy, Communications and Multimedia, is a highly-respected Dayak leader in Sarawak, and his recent comments that the party's two posts should be held only by Dayaks in keeping with the party's image as a Dayak-based party appear to have rattled many of Masing-Sng supporters.

"It's not just a saleable tag-line," according to one PBDS leader who asked not to be identified. "PBDS is multi-racial in essence but Dayak in substance."

Sng, however, acknowledged it was Moggie's right to change his mind about not supporting Masing as his successor for the party's top post.

But he added that he would stay by Masing as he considered him "a qualified administrator and able to do a good job."

Staying neutral

Meanwhile, a Moggie aide told malaysiakini that when the party president made the announcement recently he had more or less dropped his original preference for Masing to succeed him, he (Moggie) was in fact trying to stay neutral in the race for the party's top post.

According to several observers, although not ruling out a possible last-minute compromise, Moggie would now prefer to let the delegates decide who they want to lead the party after he steps down.

Observers are also not discounting a possible last-minute agreement on branches qualified to take part together with delegates with their voting rights and for the delegates to make a free choice of who they want to lead the party, without any interference from anyone.

But, according to the same observers, this may be contingent upon only the contest for the No 2 post being open only to Dayaks meaning Sng may have to withdraw if there is to be a last-minute compromise.

The party elections will be held on July 26-27.

PBDS supreme council will hold its meeting on June 28, probably the last before the triennial delegates conference.

Credentials committee

Meanwhile, PBDS secretary-general Stanley Ajang told malaysiakini that all letters of appointment to members of the recently-established credentials committee had been sent out.

"They've all accepted their appointments."

He said the committee will scrutinise the eligibility of branches to attend and send delegates to vote. The committee is headed by Dr Jawie Masing, a veteran party leader and a former state assemblyperson.

Sng is backing party information chief Dr James Masing, who is also state minister of social development and urbanisation, as new party chief to succeed Moggie who has decided not to seek re-nomination.

Ranged against them are deputy president Daniel Tajem who after nearly 20 years as Moggie's deputy in the party feels it is time for him to move up and take over the helm of the party.

Tajem's running mate for the deputy presidency is Joseph Salang, the party's treasurer-general and Julau member of parliament.

Tajem is away campaigning in Pantu and was not immediately available for comments.