Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak's (PBDS) former information chief Dr James Masing said today that Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has the right to step in to help resolve the current leadership crisis in PBDS if the situation warrants it.

A Bernama report quoted Masing as saying that "Taib Mahmud as the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) chairperson can can take action to defend the interests of the state BN if the situation worsens."

He told reporters this in Kuching after launching the state-level National Sports Month Programme 2003.

Masing, who is social development and urbanisation minister, was asked to comment on Taib's statement in Kapit yesterday that at this stage he would not want to intervene in the internal affairs of PBDS.

Working well in BN

Masing said the stability and smooth functioning of the state BN would be affected if what was happening in PBDS, one of its component parties, could not be resolved.

"PBDS, which rejoined the state BN in 1994, has been cooperating very well with the coalition until recently...so something has to be done to maintain the good relationship," he said.

In Kapit yesterday, Masing and PBDS vice-president Datuk S'ng Chee Hua jointly presented to Taib a letter which was jointly signed by nine assemblymen, 11 supreme council members and chairmen of 172 branches of PBDS pledging their loyalty to him.

However, Masing denied that the gesture was meant to indirectly drag the chief minister into the crisis and to get the Sarawak BN chief's support for his faction.