The Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawal (PBDS) supreme council last night suspended the membership of its vice president Sng Chee Hua with immediate effect. He was also issued with a show-cause letter as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.

Sng is aligned to a rival faction led by Dr James Masing who is state urbanisation and social development minister.

After an all-night deliberation at the meeting chaired by party president Daniel Tajem in Kuching, the council also decided to send show-cause letters to a former party secretary-general Dublin Unting, who is an assistant state minister, as well as nine other members who were pro tem committee members of the proposed Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).

They have been given 30 days to respond on alleged breach of party discipline and acting against party interest, failing which they face possible expulsion from the party.

(PRS pro tem chairman Sidi Munan was among the PBDS supreme council members to be issued with the show-cause letter. He had recently announced that the promoters were not going ahead with pursuing the registration of the new party).

Gravity of charges

This was announced last night by PBDS president Daniel Tajem at a press conference after the SC meeting, urgently convened to discuss the latest political developments in the party after Prime Minster Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his capacity as Home Minister previously ordered the party to hold fresh polls to elect new office-bearers.

A PBDS supreme council member, who asked not to be identified, said the only exception made for Sng was because of the "gravity of the charges made against him during the elections."

The show-cause letters had been expected after the parliamentary elections when certain party leaders were alleged to have openly backed independent candidates and campaigned against BN candidates.

The party had even lodged official complaints against Sng and Dublin to the Barisan Nasional.

It is not immediately known what impact will the decision have on efforts by various parties to find a solution to the long protracted leadership quarrels in PBDS.

But, according to observers, it is almost certain that the Masing faction will not be bothered by the decision as Masing himself has said he does not recognise the SC which, according to him, lapsed in August last year after the party's two TDCs which the ROS ruled were not held in accordance to the party constitution.

The faction led by Tajem has said it is justified on maintaining the legitimate status of the supreme council which has been given recognition by the prime minister in his earlier capacity as Home Minister which has jurisdiction over the registration of political parties.

The Masing faction has apparently refused to recognise the validity status of the SC, insisting that the party's SC does not function anymore and, therefore, cannot hold or organise the party elections, a point which federal BN secretary-general Khalil Yaacob seems to agree with.

No authority

Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu said earlier this week the BN wanted to see PBDS problems resolved as it was anxious to see the BN intact when it prepares for the state polls that must be held in two years' time.

Meanwhile, in his immediate reaction, Sng in a one-page signed statement said the Tajem-Salang faction had no authority to take any disciplinary action against the 11 party members as their TDC held in Santubong had been ruled as not in order by the ROS.

He said although his group had evidence that certain top party leaders were campaigning against BN candidates in Sri Aman and Selangau, they had decided not to pursue the matter and had written to the Barisan Nasional about it.

He explained that this was because his group wanted to create "a conducive atmosphere for a possible reconciliation and sackings and witch-hunting will not create such an atmosphere."

"We should (all) strictly abide by the decision of the BN leaders who are keen to see the holding of fresh elections to solve the crisis once and for all," Sng added.