Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud will have a difficult choice to make when he reshuffles his cabinet soon - from which faction of the split Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) will he pick the new assistant minister?

Is he going to pick a name submitted by the faction led by acting president Daniel Tajem or from the faction led by state social development and urbanisation minister Dr James Masing to fill the post left vacant by Selangau member of parliament Joseph Entulu following his appointment as deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department?

Masing, the party's former information chief, is known to enjoy Taib's close confidence, and bets are that Taib may well choose his man, further annoying Tajem and his supporters.

These are some of the questions being asked after Taib confirmed earlier this week that he would make some changes to his cabinet after Adenan Satem resigned as state agriculture and food industries minister to take up the federal post of natural resources and environment minister and also Entulu's departure from the cabinet after the last parliamentary election.

Malaysiakini

learnt that the Tajem faction has submitted two names - the state assemblyperson for Belaga Stanley Ajang, who is party secretary-general, and Ngemah state assemblyperson Gabriel Adit, who is also PBDS vice president (and who may be appointed state assembly deputy speaker instead).

The Masing faction has submitted only one name - Pelagus state assemblyperson Larry Sng, son of party's former vice president and a former Julau MP Sng Chee Hua.

It is learnt that Kakus state assemblyperson John Sikie, a Masing supporter, has also been nominated for the post of state assembly deputy speaker.

Leaders of both factions have avoided media questions on the latest developments in the party, especially on when the party's all-powerful credentials committee (CC) is going to hold its first meeting.

New CC chairperson

The CC is supposed to meet after the Gawai Dayak celebrations in early June, after the last Barisan Nasional technical committee meeting chaired by former BN secretary-general Khalil Yaacob (since appointed Malacca Head of State) had decided on the name of the chairperson.

However, there is now talk that a new CC chairperson will be appointed and that he is Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Minister if the Prime Minister's Department, who is the new BN and Umno secretary-general.

A party source told malaysiakini that at this stage, the CC has not been properly constituted and that he was not aware when a meeting would be scheduled.

The CC is the body that will take charge of party election matters, and at the last BN technical meeting it was decided to hold the party elections (triennial delegates conference) on October 9-10.

The recent sacking of Masing's 13 supporters from the party might have given rise to complications and it has even been suggested that a TDC might not even be held as scheduled or at all.

There is even talk that the party might find itself in serious trouble again and that Masing supporters have activated their application to try and register Party Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).

With widespread talk that there may even be changes at the state top leadership 'in a matter of weeks or even months', the recent lull in political activities in Sarawak has left political observers speculating that the next state elections may only be held at the end of its current term in 2006.