The Tajem-Salang faction in Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) today accused its former information chief Dr James Masing of telling "a blatant lie or at best a gross inaccuracy" about the party's recent triennial delegates conference held on July 26 in Santubong.

"In his desperate efforts to make himself looks good, he has shamefully churned out a pack of lies and misinformation and again resort to the familiar habit of accusing others of what he himself is guilty of," a signed press statement issued by the party headquarters said.

Referring to Masing's allegation that the Santubong TDC lacked a quorum, the statement said the party's credentials committee, headed by party leader Dr Jawie Masing, had ruled that 153 branches were eligible.

Nomination process

"Practically all these branches attended the TDC either by sending observers or delegates. One hundred and forty-seven of these branches had earlier submitted their nominations for office-bearers and, therefore, had participated in the TDC . That alone proves Masing's allegations are a pack of lies," it added.

The statement, signed by the party's youth deputy chief Anthony Nais, also touched on the party's nomination process.

It said that although all accredited branches were eligible to participate in the nomination, not all those eligible branches were qualified to send delegates to the TDC.

"This is because of another provision in the party constitution governing the eligibility of delegates which the Masing-Sng group were insistent in seeing enforced and which became the bone of contention in the first credentials committee's deliberations."

But despite the party's top-decision body's decision made on May 25, 2003 to waive the stringent and 'absurb application' of such a provision and which the Masing-Sng group had raised no objection, the credentials committee, partly in deference to their wishes and more importantly to comply strictly to the constitutional requirement, ruled on 76 as the total eligible delegates.

"The number was as far as the constitution would allow and the Masing-Sng group should have no cause to complain, particularly when they themselves wanted it to be that way," according to the statement.

Article V11(7)(i) states the quorum for the TDC shall not be less than 3/5 of total number of delegates, not eligible branches.

Delegates and branches

"Except for the then handful of elected supreme council members in the Masing-Sng faction who were eligible delegates and who did not attend the Santubong TDC, one hundred percent of all the eligible delegates as ruled by the credentials committee attended the Santubong TDC."

"This knowledge that the constitution had been strictly complied with may disappoint Masing as otherwise he will gleefully cry foul that the constitution has been breached. The required quorum had, therefore, been met."

Masing had claimed that the Santubong TDC was attended by less than 50 branches with less than 70 delegates and also claimed that because of this, Daniel Tajem had failed to secure the minimum 30 per cent of branches support needed for nomination for the president's post.

But the party headquarters retorted by saying that 'there was only such a number of eligible delegates because there had been meticulous compliance with the party constitution and also to accommodate the demand of the Masing-Salang group."

"Now they turn around to say that this is improper. Again, this is another illustration of their group dictating terms, which eventually work to their own detriment. They have only themselves to blame."

Gathering in Sibu

Meanwhile, malaysiakin i understands that in reply to the huge gathering held by the Tajem-Salang group in former president Leo Moggie's longhouse last weekend in Nanga Bejait, Kanowit, the Masing-Sng faction will be hold a huge gathering of their own soon in Sibu.

Rival deputy president Sng Chee Hua indicated that the crowd was expected to be 30,000 strong with members and supporters to be drawn from all over Sarawak. This will be a gathering at the town's central padang.

Malaysiakini also learned that the Tajem-Salang group are scheduled to meet and brief the Chief Minister and state Barisan Nasional chairperson Abdul Taib Mahmud next week on the latest developments in PBDS.