Two Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) newly-elected officials aligned to the Tajem-Salang faction today dissociated themselves from the group and pledged their support for the rival Masing-Sng faction.

Councillor Sunok Jamba (right), elected as one of the 10 committee members in the youth section without contest yesterday, and Nunya Ahok (left), returned unopposed as a committee member in the women section, appeared at a press conference this morning at the Masing-Sng operations room in the office of Sebiro Sdn Bhd in Green Heights, Kuching.

The company is owned by a group controlled by PBDS vice president Sng Chee Hua.

Sunok and Nunya said they were not aware why their names had been included in the committee lists for the youth and women sections. They added that they would like to put on record they were dissociating themselves from the Tajem-Salang group.

Clean sweep

After nominations from branches closed yesterday for the various key posts in the main body, Daniel Tajem, who took over as acting president after Leo Moggie recently stepped down as president, was returned unopposed as president for a three-year term.

His running-mate for deputy president Joseph Salang Gandum was also returned unopposed. The announcement of his election also coincided with the datukship award conferred on him on the occasion of the official birthday of the Penang Head of State yesterday.

When the three-man credentials committee chairperson Dr Jawie Masing announced the names of candidates who had been returned unopposed after nominations closed, it is clear that it represented a clean sweep of sort for supporters of the Tajem-Salang group.

This came largely as a result of not a single nomination for any of the leaders and supporters of the rival group led by Dr James Masing.

Malaysiakini understands that the victorious team held a celebration dinner last night.

Tajem is also said to have met up with visiting Barisan Nasional secretary-general Mohammad Rahmat last night to brief him on the outcome of the nomination results.

A price for victory

But, according to most observers, the Tajem-Salang's victory has come with a price and Tajem himself had tacitly acknowledged that "the party has not emerged stronger as a result."

Recognising, however, that a larger number of members, including nine elected representatives (including one full state minister and two assistant ministers) as supporting the rival faction, he at once, in what is seen as a magnanimous gesture, extended an olive branch that he hoped could lead to some form of reconciliation.

But he qualified that by saying that he alone could not decide as he had to consult his supreme council members for their views, especially on the form of reconciliation formula.

Meantime, the Masing-Sng faction only has harsh words to describe what former SC member and assistant minister Dublin Unting called the opponent's 'fake victory.'

Their biggest complaint is about their 174 branches that they claimed had been left out of the nomination process with forms only sent out to branches favouring their rivals.

Still SC members

At a press conference this morning, Joseph Entulu (seated second from left with his youth exco members), who says he is still PBDS youth leader until August 6 2003 when the present three-year tenure of office-bearers expires, said: "We do not discount the possibility of raising our complaints either to the Registrar of Societies or with the court."

He charged that the manner the rival faction had conducted the election process as 'appalling' by neglecting the incumbents (supporters of the group) and disqualifying many branches.

Meanwhile, in another press conference, PBDS supreme council member Sidi Munan, a key adviser and planner for the Masing-Sng faction, said "I am a member of the SC and if by the election results yesterday (we don't recognise them away) I should be out. I wish to put in the strongest terms that I am still a member of the SC. My term only expires on August 6, 2003. So nobody has kicked me out."

He added: "Only the delegates have the right to do that. This applies as much to Sng (Chee Hua), Philimon Nuing and other supporters aligned to the group."

He accused the credentials committee of deliberately omitting to send the nominations to them.

"As SC elected members we should have been sent the nomination forms."

Asked how all this might lead to eventually, he said the Registrar of Societies (ROS) might have to be the final arbiter eventually, since the Tajem-Salang group may seek protection under Section 18 of the Societies Act that may prevent party matters from being brought to court.

"But if it has to resort to court, the court will have the final say."