Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) president Daniel Tajem said today there was no point of rushing into fresh party polls "... without going through the proper procedures and without giving proper explanations to branches and members".

Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Khalil Yaacob said last week a BN management committee meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak had asked PBDS to hold its TDC as soon as possible, but not later than four months from April 4.

"In my view, there is not much point (in holding the triennial delegates conference, TDC) if it is only going to split the party. We have to give everybody time and allow things to cool down after all that has happened," Tajem ( photo ) told malaysiakini.

"We should try and explain (the situation) to our branches and grassroots members. Our aim should be to unite the party."

Tajem took over as party president last May from Leo Moggie, who resigned abruptly at the height of a leadership crisis that rocked PBDS just before the July 23 TDC in Santubong.

A day earlier, rival faction leader Dr James Masing had held a TDC in Bintulu. The Registrar of Societies (ROS) has since ruled that neither was conducted according to procedures.

Tajem said the party at its recent supreme council meeting had set up a technical committee with Aaron Dagang as chairperson, to look into preparations for the TDC. The ROS has said it will oversee the elections

Secretary-general Stanley Ajang is working out the timetable for branch meetings and other related details.

'Long enough'

" (Completing the round of) branch meetings alone will take six months," Tajem said, adding that the TDC can only be held after that.

PBDS has more than 400 branches of its main body, youth and women sections. Most of the branches are in the rural areas.

Masing ( photo ) was also quoted in local daily Sunday Tribune as saying that the leadership dispute in the party has gone on long enough.

"We have quarrelled enough," he said, adding that attention should focus on resolving the dispute "without going through the media".

English-language tabloid Malaysian Today quoted PBDS treasurer-general Joseph Salang as saying that four months might be "too short" for the organisation of fresh party polls if there is to be strict compliance with the party's constitution and the ROS rules and regulations.

The Home Ministry's stipulated four-month period may, however, be sufficient if only the previous annual returns of all branches recognised by the ROS are used.

'If we start the whole process all over again, it will take at least seven months (to complete the elections)", the paper quoted Salang as saying.

"Perhaps the ROS could allow some flexibility (in the procedures), but this may invite protests from certain quarters."

He said the party would have to discuss which annual returns should be used, in consultation with the ROS, the Home Ministry and BN leaders.

He hoped the ROS would also set "parameters" to be used as guidelines in preparations for the TDC.