The special task force set up by the Human Resources Ministry to resolve the leadership crisis in the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) has proposed the reinstatement of the 'pre-crisis' leadership as the first step towards an amicable solution between the two rival factions.

The minutes of the first exploratory meeting on Sept 3 held in Putrajaya recorded the urgent need to reinstate NUBE's pre-crisis executive council, on the grounds that it was "critical" for the legitimate conduct of the union's administration and subsequent election of a new team.

It also proposed early October as the tentative date for fresh elections to be held. This would enable candidates to be selected in line with the union's constitution.

To allow the pre-crisis exco to act in selecting a new line-up, both factions were asked to withdraw all pending court matters.

Neutral overseer

The three-member task force, established on Aug 20 to mediate the peace talks, is headed by ministry secretary-general Dr Mohd Yahaya Nordin. It also has Labour director-general Ismail Rahim and director-general of trade union (DGTU) Zulkifly Abdullah ( photo ) on board.

In his opening remarks that were minuted, task force chairperson Mohd Yahaya explained its role as "an independent team and not a law enforcement unit".

More interestingly, he appealed to both parties to end the feud as a parting gift to outgoing prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is stepping down in October.

According to the minutes, a copy of which was obtained by malaysiakini , the task force also proposed that the pre-crisis exco make the necessary preparations for a fresh election.

The pre-crisis exco held office prior to the controversial removal of J Solomon as general secretary on Oct 30 2001, and comprises mostly officials aligned to Muhammad Fauzi Shamsuddin.

However, the rival group which is led by Abdul Jalil Hamid, with Solomon as general secretary, has opposed the idea of the pre-crisis group and has since made a counter-proposal.

From the minutes, it is clear that the ministry has misinterpreted the proceedings of the Sept 3 meeting. Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn, at a press conference that afternoon, had announced that a joint exco would run the union's affairs until fresh elections are held.

However, the minutes make no reference to the idea of a joint exco, which Fong said would have representation from both sides.

Election candidates

The task force said it was confident that the pre-crisis exco would be able to foster closer co-operation between the factions and ensure smoother administration of the NUBE's daily affairs.

In addition, it would be able to operate from the NUBE's registered premises currently occupied by Abdul Jalil's faction.

The minutes stated that the pre-crisis exco would be able to improve the NUBE's image, which has been muddied by a two-year long power struggle. Numerous allegations of fraud and several police reports were made during this period.

On the selection of fresh election candidates, the task force proposed that officials from both sides should be nominated in total. The new exco would be left to decide on the respective posts later.

An alternative would be to open up nominations to include "new faces" for fairer and more effective representation of the 28,000 NUBE members.

It also proposed that the Department of Trade Union Affairs - as a "neutral third party" with the institutional integrity of dealing with trade union matters - be appointed to ensure that the election process is smooth, fair and clean.

On Thursday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court will decide on whether to proceed with the judicial review sought by Abdul Jalil's group against the DGTU's endorsement of the rival line-up as the legitimate exco.

It will also decide on the application by Muhammad Fauzi's team to set aside a stay order obtained by Abdul Jalil's group against the execution of the DGTU's endorsement.