The powerful Registrar of Societies (ROS) today notified leaders of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) that the Dayak-based party had been deregistered.

ROS Dahari Ibrahim personally handed the letter to PBDS president Daniel Tajem ( photo ) at the registrar's office in Kuching this afternoon.

Also present were other top leaders of PBDS, including deputy president Joseph Salang, permanent chairperson Edmund Langgu and secretary-general Stanley Ajang.

The party has been given 30 days to appeal against the decision to the home minister, who is Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Disappointed PBDS leaders declined to meet the press after the meeting with Dahari.

It is expected, however, to issue a press statement tomorrow, according to information chief Paul Kadang.

Not satisfied

Dahari told reporters waiting outside the meeting room at the ROS office in Bangunan Tuanku Iskandar that the party had failed to satisfy him with its reply to his query concerning certain irregularities, especially the presence of delegates from 29 branches at the party's triennial delegates conference (TDC) held in Santubong on July 26-27, 2003.

The party submitted the reply in three volumes containing about 650 pages which included affidavits from delegates who were chosen to attend the TDC.

The decision to de-register the party followed a year-long leadership squabble within the party which led to two factions with one led by Daniel Tajem, the president who succeeded Leo Moggie on June 25 this year, and the other led by a state minister and former party information chief Dr James Masing.

The crisis openly split into two in July this year, leaving the party with two presidents and their own team of supreme council members.

Masing faction's own TDC held in Bintulu on July 25 was declared unconstitutional by the ROS.

Masing who has the backing of nine out of the party's 14 elected representatives will hold a press conference tomorrow morning. Out of the nine, three are members of parliament while the rest state assembly representatives.

He is expected to formally announce that he and eight other elected representatives and their supporters intend to join the Party Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), which the promoters hope can be registered soon.

The Barisan Nasional supreme council, which will meet next month, is expected to consider PRS' application to join the ruling coalition if the ROS approves its application for registration in time.

Presently, the pro-tem PRS president is Masing-aligned Sidi Munan, a former PBDS supreme council member, while the deputy president is well-known local medical practitioner Dr Ong Lark Sai.

Court action?

The ROS' decision to de-register PBDS came about a year after the de-registration of another Sarawak party, the Sarawak National Party (Snap) as a result of another debilitating factional feud.

Snap, however, has successfully applied for a stay of the ROS' decision pending hearing on its application for a judicial review , which will take place on Feb 10 next year.

Meanwhile, rebel leaders who left Snap has since formed the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), whose registration was speedily accepted by ROS and later embraced by the ruling BN coalition.

It is most certain that PBDS leaders will appeal to the home minister, and if that fails they are likely to challenge the decision in court.

The latest decision has almost put the remaining five elected representatives of PBDS in a dilemma - three MPs and two state assembly representatives.

They have two options - one is to park themselves with other component parties in the state BN or join new party PRS, which is, however, most unlikely.

Leo Moggie's future?

Among them is Leo Moggie who is the MP for Kanowit and the minister of energy, communications and multimedia.

It is not known whether Moggie will resign his ministerial position or serve till the dissolution of parliament. He has, however, made it known a long time ago of his intention to quit politics.

Moggie supports the Tajem group and is the party's president emeritus.

Meanwhile, the latest ROS' decision has bolstered the Masing faction's hopes, and they are now expected to call on the remaining five elected representatives of PBDS to join their new party.