The two rival factions in crisis-ridden Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) seem to be taking a different route in the run-up to the party's triennial delegates conference (TDC) scheduled for July 26-27 in Kuching.

The Daniel Tajem-Joseph Salang faction ( left ) - backed by former party president Leo Moggie - has been keeping mum while the James Masing-Sng Chee Hua group has been firing salvos without any let-up within the last few days.

Yesterday, the party's outspoken Youth leader Joseph Entulu, an assistant minister who is aligned to the Masing-Sng faction, called a press conference to claim that his group has received "100 percent" endorsement to run for the party's two top posts from 172 branches.

'Overlapping' branches

This, according to him, represents more than 60 percent of the party's total branches numbering 259 throughout Sarawak. By this, he implies that the Masing-Sng faction ( right ) can now secure more than the necessary number of nominations from branches to qualify to contest.

However, the party's credentials committee, chaired by veteran leader Dr Jawie Masing, only finished its work on Saturday. Malaysiakini understands that there are at least 80 "overlapping" branches.

Many were puzzled as to how Entulu arrived at the conclusion that the 172 branches said to be represented at a gathering in Kapit on Friday represented the same branch committees of officials whose branches the three-member credentials committee looked at last week.

Masing has repeatedly insisted on using the 2000 TDC list of branches (206) for the coming TDC. It is learnt that this time no more than 170 branches will be eligible to attend and send three delegates each to vote.

Another point of contention is that while the supreme council has already decided that each branch irrespective of its membership size will be entitled to send three delegates each, the Masing-Sng faction insist that the number of delegates each branch could send should depend on its membership, based on the provisions of the party constitution.

On the ground

PBDS officials aligned to the Tajem-Salang side are keeping mum. Most of their supreme council members are said to be on the ground, meeting branch committee members throughout Sarawak, ahead of the July 26-27 TDC.

"We cannot communicate with our members in the rural areas through newspapers so we've to be physically on the ground," said one party official.

Letters notifying them of the TDC are being delivered to the various branch committees. This includes asking them to nominate candidates they want to send for the various elected posts.

Meanwhile, Masing told reporters in Kuching this morning that there should be some form of reconciliation in order to prevent the party crisis from deteriorating.

Tajem, the president, and Joseph Salang as well as party secretary-general Stanley Ajang were not available for comments. Aides said they were all visiting branches on the ground.

PBDS' newly-appointed information chief Paul Kadang told malaysiakini today that a press statement could be expected from the credentials committee chairperson this week on the completion of its work , the nominations of candidates and other related matters.