The Registrar of Societies Dahari Ibrahim is expected to announce this week which of the two rival factions in the crisis-ridden Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) represents the legitimate leadership.

A highly-placed source in the ROS office in Putrajaya told malaysiakini that Dahari will make the announcement in the coming days.

The ROS' decision on the fate of the PBDS - which is now being led by two rival set of leaders - was initially expected to be announced last Friday.

No reason has been given for the delay but malaysiakini has learned that last-minute talks are being held to resolve the leadership crisis.

Malaysiakini

was told that Dahari was indisposed today and had gone to see a doctor.

PBDS, one of the four member parties of the state's ruling coalition headed by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, has two rival presidents - ex-president Leo Moggie's deputy Daniel Tajem and the party's former information chief Dr James Masing.

The party has two competing leadership line-ups and is divided in half, with nine elected representatives supporting the Masing group and the remaining five elected representatives behind the Tajem group.

The Tajem group, however, has the backing of Moggie, the minister of energy, communications and multimedia.

Meeting with Taib

Malaysiakini

understands that the Tajem group will be meeting the state BN chairperson Taib early this week.

The faction has been seeking an appointment to see Taib since Moggie unexpectedly stepped down as party president on June 25 paving the way for his deputy Tajem to assume the leadership of the Dayak-based party.

It is learnt that the Tajem group is anxious to explain their version of what had happened within PBDS to the state BN chief, who is believed to view Masing's group favourably.

Tajem is also expected to tell the Sarawak chief minister that his group is open to any possible reconciliation, but this has to be done without comprising on the legality of their status as the duly-elected leaders of the party.

A formula that is being discussed at the highest-possible level includes accommodating Masing and some of his staunch supporters and an agreement that some will remain in their present government posts.