After more than a month long delay, the Barisan Nasional (BN) technical committee under the stewardship of a new chairperson is to meet this week on election plans for the crisis ridden Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS).

Its triennial delegates conference (TDC) has been scheduled for Oct 9-10, according to an agreement reached by all quarters - the rival factions in PBDS, state and federal BN representatives, Home Ministry and Registrar of Societies (ROS) in May.

Preparations for the elections stalled after the previous technical committee chairperson Khalil Yaacob the then BN secretary-general, was appointed Malacca Governor.

This time the technical meeting on July 15 in Kuala Lumpur will be chaired by newly-appointed BN secretary-general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad. Notices to the meeting have been sent to all parties.

Sacking of 12 leaders

PBDS leaders have remained tightlipped about the meeting but malaysiakini understands party president Daniel Tajem, secretary-general Stanley Ajang and two other supreme council members Baru Bian and Kilat Beriak will attend.

Former PBDS information chief Dr James Masing, former Youth chief Joseph Entulu and another senior leader will represent the rival faction.

When contacted, Kilat confirmed that he had received notice of the meeting but declined to comment further.

Sources said one issue likely to be brought up during the meet concerns the recent sacking of 12 PBDS members, including a former secretary-general Dublin Unting by the supreme council.

The Masing faction has maintained that the supreme council has no authority to do this, saying there is an understanding that nothing of this sort will happen while preparations are underway for the elections.

They also claimed that the supreme council's term had expired and that the Home Ministry in its letter of clarification indicated that any residue power is only over the conduct of party elections.

The Tajem group has written to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to argue otherwise.

The faction claims to have acted constitutionally and is sticking to the contents of the Home Ministry's first letter when reinstating with certain conditions that fresh polls are to be held to elect new leaders.

Senior party officials aligned to Tajem had also met Abdullah and other leaders to explain the grounds on which the disciplinary action was taken against the 12, including party vice president Sng Chee Hua.

The Tajem faction justified the sacking by saying that most of them were involved in the application for the registration of a new political party (Parti Rakyat Sarawak) and were working against BN interests in the last parliamentary elections.

They also said that at no time did the last BN technical committee meeting chaired by Khalil made any decision concerning disciplinary actions to be taken against any party leader.

Credentials committee

The previous technical committee meeting on May 13 also agreed that a party credentials committee be made up of two representatives each from the rival factions as well as observers with a neutral chairperson.

The original proposal for Kuala Lumpur-based constitutional lawyer Mohd Shafee Abdullah to be chairperson for the credentials committee that will have the final say on all election matters has been dropped in favour of Radzi.

The credentials committee is constitutionally required to be set up for the purpose of the election, including scrutinizing the eligibility of branches to attend and send delegates to vote at the TDC.

The PBDS supreme council will meet on July 17 and is expected to formally endorse the setting up of a credentials committee in accordance with party constitution.

This will be followed later in the day with the first credentials committee meeting to be chaired by Radzi in Kuching.

Once the CC gives the go-ahead ,the party secretary-general will send out notices for branches to hold their annual general meetings.

The branches are required to submit their annual reports, including statements of accounts ,and minutes of meetings to party headquarters for vetting and verifications.

Some party officials are sceptical on whether there is sufficient time to conduct branch meetings considering the fact that nearly 300 branches are involved before the TDC in October.