Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) held its monthly supreme council meeting in Kuching this afternoon with the surprise attendance of Minister of Energy, Communications and Multimedia Leo Moggie.

The meeting held at the party headquarters in Jalan Datuk Wan Alwi in Kuching was chaired by its president Daniel Tajem.

Moggie, the former president, resigned as president on June 25 and Tajem, his deputy, took over. He has since been appointed president emeritus and today was the first time he attended a meeting of the party's 32-member supreme council after stepping down.

Moggie, who flew in at 10am specifically to attend the meeting and expected to fly back to Kuala Lumpur later in the evening, told malaysiakini that he would stick to the statement made two months ago that he would not contest the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

"We are still trying to persuade him (Moggie) to change his mind," a supreme council member Kilat Beriak, a Kuching lawyer, told malaysiakini .

Kilat said Moggie who as president emeritus can attend the party's SC meetings as and when he wants took part in the deliberations during the meeting today.

High school dropout

In a post-SC press conference, Tajem told reporters that education, an issue that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has placed greater focus on now, was discussed, particularly the high school-dropout among rural students.

The party , he said, expressed great concern at the 40% school-dropout rate among the Ibans and also at the 7% dropout rate among Bidayuhs, and wanted to figure out the reasons for it.

"Is this economic, social and whether there is a need to examine the present rural schooling system? There is obviously a lack of basic foundation like kindergarten classes."

Tajem also said the party also wanted to probe the reasons for the low level of economic performance of the Dayaks

PBDS also called for the setting up of a separate Ministry for Bumiputra Minorities Affairs or a special unit in the Prime Minister's Department to monitor the implementation of policies designed to assist minority groups and their socio-economic status and progress.

"This is to ensure that they receive the special assistance they deserve and that they are not left too far behind other more advanced communities," he added.

Cannot ignore problems

Several Dayak leaders had spoken out lately about their concern at the plight of certain minority groups in Sarawak, especially the Penans, most of whom are still living below the poverty line.

"We must not ignore the fact that such problems, such as poverty and malnutrition, continue to exist," Tajem said.

He said there was a need to carry out socio-economic surveys, as proposed by many concerned Dayak leaders, as these would reveal not only the depth of poverty in their midst but would also suggest broad and specific policy solutions which the authorities could also take.

"We are very glad that our prime minister has seen it fit to address the needs of bumiputera minorities as one of the cornerstones of his policy so soon after taking office. And PBDS stands ready to assist in whatever possible."

Commenting on reports of a new political party being formed by certain members of PBDS, he said: "Firstly, this is a free country and anyone can form a political party. Secondly, there are also rules to follow like certain marriage laws in this country."

"Multiple registrations of political affiliation or in short political polygamy is not allowed. If there are members of the party who are involved in this new party, then they should know what they have to do. We consider that they themselves opted out of the party," Tajem added.