As far as the Home Ministry is concerned "there is no authority in Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) now", said the ministry's deputy secretary-general Shafee Abu Bakar.

Although he did not explain further, it is taken to mean that the ministry does not think the present supreme council members could or should be responsible for organising the party elections ordered by the prime minister.

In a telephone interview with local tabloid Malaysian Today , Shafee was asked on the status of the PBDS supreme council with Daniel Tajem as president and he replied: "The question of who is in authority should not arise at all. Those are all history now."

However, he did not disclose whether the ministry still considered Tajem and his supreme council as functioning.

Shafee also told the tabloid the ministry was not interested in the internal bickering between party leaders.

He said the ministry only wanted to see the election of new office-bearers through a fresh poll, which was one of the conditions for the party's reinstatement on March 9,2004, after it was de-registered by the Registrar of Societies.

The official was also quoted as saying that the leadership tussle could only be resolved through a fresh poll.

Letter of confusion

Tajem was not immediately available for comment, but several leaders aligned to him said comments attributed to Shafee had to be confirmed because he had personally signed the ministry's letter, which conveyed the premier's decision on the party's reinstatement to the PBDS secretary-general.

In the letter, the party was also told that the triennial delegates conference (TDC) in Santubong on July 23, 2003 was not in order and the supreme council (elected in the previous conference) existing before that date is to remain in status quo, with Tajem as president until the coming TDC.

Several top Barisan Nasional officials, including secretary-general Khalil Yaacob, and some senior Home Ministry officials interpreted the letter differently, leading to confusion within the party.

PBDS recently took out paid spaces in local newspapers and published the contents of the ministry's letter as well as the letter from the ROS dated March 10 inviting the secretary-general to fix a date for an appointment to discuss the fresh polls.

'The right picture

'

Malaysiakini

understands that senior party leaders aligned to Tajem have been meeting leaders of other BN component parties to explain the latest developments in the party before the next BN supreme council meeting, which can be held anytime.

They are said to be anxious that all component parties get 'the right picture' so that appropriate decisions will be made before the supreme council meet and also based on the home ministry's letter, that there is no question as to the authority in the party about preparing for the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, the leader of Tajem's rival faction Dr James Masing said he no longer wanted to discuss the party's leadership in the media.

"Internal problems within the party from now on will not be made public," he said, when asked to comment on the suspension vice- president Sng Chee Hua's membership and the show-cause letters issued by the supreme council to11 of his supporters.