Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today asked the two rival factions in Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak to reconcile differences and keep the party intact.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a two-day visit to Sarawak, Abdullah urged the two sides to try and resolve their differences as quickly as possible because, according to him, a troubled PBDS could lead to instability and affect the Barisan Nasional.

Abdullah, who is also Barisan Nasional deputy chairperson, said that so long as the factions follow the party constitution and the Registrar of Societies (ROS) guidelines 'they could not go wrong.'

BN seats affected

The deputy premier who will take over as prime minister when Dr Mahathir Mohamad steps down in October is apparently concerned that if the infighting within PBDS, a component of the state's four-member ruling coalition, continues unabated, it might not only lead to a break-up of the party but also affect the Barisan Nasional's chances in several seats in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

PBDS has six members of parliament and eight state assembly seats.

Among those present during the press conference this afternoon were Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and Deputy Chief Ministers Dr George Chan and Alfred Jabu.

The crowd who sent him off at Kuching International Airport included PBDS president Daniel Tajem and deputy president-elect Joseph Salang Gandum. Tajem's rival Dr James Masing, who is a state minister, was away in Bintulu on ministerial duties.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the Home Ministry confirmed that it had received a letter of complaint from the Masing group alleging constitutional irregularities committed by their rivals in the party election process.

Depending on ROS

He said the complaints had been passed on to the Registrar of Societies which would investigate the matter thoroughly.

The Masing faction is counting heavily on the ROS to act on the complaints and either take action against their rivals or order fresh elections to elect office-bearers for the party.

Abdullah's comments today appear to suggest, however, that the top Barisan Nasional leadership would rather see the two rival factions sit down and reach some form of compromise.

The problem for the Masing group is, although they have backing from the majority of the party's elected representatives and also command a lot of support from the grassroots, is that, as far as the Tajem group is concerned, the elections are over, as they have all been returned unopposed during last week's nominations.

According to observers, it is very unlikely that the Tajem group will backtrack on this and allow the elections of the nominations to be cancelled in order to bend backward to accommodate the Masing group.

In a quandry

The only likely solution is, as far as the Tajem group is concerned, for Masing to acknowledge the results and then allow Tajem to appoint him and several of his supporters to the supreme council post. Under the party constitution, the president can appoint 10 SC members, including the secretary-general, treasurer-general and information chief.

Observers say Abdullah's advice for the factions to reconcile is likely to put the Masing group in a quandry. Masing was not immediately available for comment.

Meanwhile, malaysiakini understands that Tajem met with Abdullah at the Damai Resort just outside Kuching where he had a round of gold before returning to Kuala Lumpur late afternoon.

Tajem confirmed later this evening that he and two other party leaders, including Salang, had a 10-minute meeting with Abdullah.

"I explained to him what had been happening. After listening, he asked me to submit to him a written report. I am now doing it," Tajem added.

On Pah Lah's call for reconciliation of factional differences, Tajem indicated he was delighted with Abdullah's thinking on the matter.

He added that he would make a statement on this after consulting party colleagues and after the forthcoming triennial delegates conference on July 26-27.