Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) supreme council member Sidi Munan claimed he had no knowledge of any move by the faction led by Dr James Masing ( photo ) to elect rival office-bearers for the party.

The faction has been embroiled in a long-running leadership dispute with Daniel Tajem and Joseph Salang Gandum, who have since gained control of the party.

The Masing-Sng group is scheduled to hold a mass gathering in Bintulu on Thursday, with an expected attendance of 1,600 delegates and observers from 175 branches.

There is speculation that an election will be held for office bearers for the party, and youth and women's wings during the event.

Malaysian Today

, a newspaper said to be sympathetic to the faction, had reported today that youth leader Edward Burik intended to contest the youth vice-chief's post during the gathering.

Asked to comment, Sidi said: "I am not aware of it. I don't know about it. I've to check into that."

Application for permit

Malaysiakini

has learnt that an application has been submitted for a permit for the Bintulu gathering and that the purpose has been stated as 'the election of office-bearers'.

Salang, who is deputy president-elect said: "Yes, I've heard from several sources, including the authorities, about what is likely to transpire at the Bintulu gathering. Let them do what they want. It's up to them."

PBDS closed its nominations for contested posts on July 11 and all candidates put forward by the Tajem-Salang faction for all elected posts in the main body, youth and women wings were returned unopposed.

This means that there will be no election for office-bearers at the party's two-day triennial delegates conference scheduled in Kuching this weekend.

Earlier, speculation had it that the Masing-Sng camp planned to set up a rival supreme council and youth and women's committees. This has since been repeatedly denied by various supporters.

When the Tajem-Salang camp made a clean sweep of all posts, however, the rival leaders complained to the Registrar of Societies (|ROS) that there were constitutional irregularities.

Observers are also analysing remarks attributed to Masing in various newspapers today.

He is reported to have said: "If you have problems upstairs (at the leadership level), you should go downstairs (the grassroots) and ask how best to resolve these."

He was further quoted as saying that the road shows to be held in Bintulu, Miri and Sibu were "to ask the people who they want and what they want us to do".

Some observers have taken this as indication that "something big" is being planned, with the most likely scenario being the election of rival committees. It would then be left to the ROS to decide on which of the two groups is legitimate.