Estranged Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) information chief Dr James Masing has been accused of 'making things difficult' for Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud by submitting his own list of election candidates.

The party's deputy Youth chief Anthony Nais said there was no need for Masing to drag the chief minister into the party's internal affairs.

PBDS - a Barisan Nasional (BN) component party - was de-registered last year over election irregularities stemming from a protracted feud between Masing and party president Daniel Tajem.

Over the weekend, Masing announced that he had submitted the names of six candidates to represent PBDS at the upcoming polls to Abdul Taib for approval.

However in a press statement yesterday, Nais said the rival leader was only 'making things difficult' for the chief minister as the state BN had previously stressed that it would leave the PBDS issue to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"Masing should submit his list to the prime minister and not the chief minister," he added.

Quit ministerial post

Referring to Masing's statement that PBDS was not the only party representing Dayak interests, Nais asked if the former would also tell the chief minister that his group was not the sole representative of the community in the state line-up in terms of cabinet posts and other government appointments.

"Others in PBDS may be more loyal to the state leadership and the state BN than the Masing group. This other group also represents Dayak interests at the state level," he said.

Nais alleged that by unfairly distributing government appointments to one group in PBDS, the state government seemed "to have inappropriately placed recognition on the Masing group".

The Youth leader also called on Masing to quit his social development and urbanisation minister post if he maintained that PBDS does not represent Dayak interests since his appointment was via the party.

Independent candidate

In a related matter, Nais also took PBDS state assemblyperson for Selangau Joseph Entulu to task for openly campaigning with Masing's ally Sng Chee Hua against another PBDS leader Joseph Salang Gandum, the incumbent BN member of Parliament for Julau.

"Is he ( Entulu) abandoning the BN?" questioned Nais.

Sng has stated that he would contest for the Julau seat on an independent ticket if the BN does not nominate him

"I am not against the BN. I am against Salang," stressed Sng, who is PBDS senior vice-president.

Political savants have warned that the problems in PBDS could ruin BN's chances of a clean sweep at the upcoming general election.

The Tajem faction have filed an appeal to the premier to overturn the de-registration.

Yesterday, Abdullah had asked BN members not to sabotage the ruling front if they are not selected as candidates.