Another twist to the strange saga in the crisis-ridden Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) came last night with its six-member credentials committee calling off its meeting 'indefinitely' after two days of intense discussion.

The powerful committee had been meeting since Wednesday to determine which of the 250 branches are eligible to attend next month's party assembly and send delegates to vote in the crucial leadership contests.

Signs that trouble was brewing surfaced on Thursday when two of its members - lawyer Clement Eddy and businessman-politician Patrick Sibat, both aligned to the Masing faction - stormed out of the meeting over some disagreements.

Although they returned in the afternoon - but only after the urging of their faction leader Dr James Masing, the presidential aspirant - the trouble was far from over.

Quit threat

Malaysiakini later learned that the committee, chaired by veteran party leader Dr Jawie Masing - a Sarikei-based private medical practitioner who once served as a state assemblyperson for the party - was so bogged down on rules and procedures that the process of considering the submissions of reports and annual returns from the party branches was moving at a snail's pace.

Jawie told reporters waiting outside the party headquarters yesterday that the job was painfully slow, and that there was no way that the committee could finish its task by today.

The other members of the committee are Aaron Dagang, a political secretary to outgoing party president Leo Moggie, and former senior bank officer Terence Temenggong. Its sixth member is businessman Henry Upang, who is the committee secretary who holds no voting rights.

Jawie gave some hints of the difficulties being encountered by the committee.

"We have to decide which of the minutes of meetings (of party branches) are the real ones. It is tough."

He said only one-third of the party's total branches had been verified so far, adding that the committee hoped to complete its work before the party's supreme council meeting next Saturday.

Jawie confirmed reports about the duplication in the submissions of branches by referring to the difficulties in spotting real documents from false ones.

The committee also had to distinguish which of the branches had dual members. This problem was further compounded by disputes over the actual numbers of branches.

Malaysiakini also learned today that Jawie was so frustrated by the disputes in the credentials committee that he threatened to resign.

But later in the evening, and after a dinner with some party leaders, he was persuaded to stay on and finish his task.

Meeting with Moggie

It is learnt that Jawie and the committee members are requesting a meeting with Moggie to get a clearer picture of the decisions taken by the party's supreme council meeting last month on issues relating to the triennial delegates conference - to be held on July 26-27 - before resuming their meeting.

The Dayak-based party has been split into two factions, one led by long-time deputy president Daniel Tajem and the other by James Masing - both vying for the coveted presidential post to be left vacant by outgoing leader Moggie.

The two factions are expected to field their own sets of candidates to vie for all the elected posts in the 32- member supreme council.

Both sides are claiming the support from the majority of branches eligible to vote and they have been campaigning hard on the ground.

The credentials committee is to scrutinise which of some 250 branches are 'legal', and this will have bearing on the outcome of the bitter leadership struggle .

Masing boosted with crossover

Meanwhile, two supreme council members, Peter Atok and Atin Nojiek, crossed over last night to the Masing faction, making the supreme council membership equally divided between the two factions.

Outgoing leader Moggie now holds the balance in the event of issues being put to a vote.

Malaysiakini was informed today that the duo formally pledged their support for the Masing faction last night at a gathering comprising several their faction leaders and supporters.

Rival faction leader Tajem and several of his own supporters are now in Betong, Sri Aman Division, to meet their branch delegates. He could not be contacted for comments.