The Tajem faction in Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) is all geared for the party polls on October 9-10 as directed by the Barisan Nasional leadership.

"Contrary to talks by our detractors, we're more than prepared for the party elections," a leader of the faction said today.

According to him, the party's supreme council meeting chaired by party president Daniel Tajem last week had already decided on the two issues brought up earlier at a BN technical committee meeting chaired by BN secretary-general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad in Kuala Lumpur.

The two issues are the sacking of 12 leaders and supporters of the Dr James Masing faction and the proposal to use the year 2000 delegates list for the forthcoming triennial delegates conference (TDC).

On the expulsion, Radzi had said that it was not valid as the Tajem's supreme council had no authority to do so.

Tajem ( photo ) told malaysiakini today that the party's legal affairs committee headed by supreme council member and lawyer Kilat Beriak will meet within the next few days to frame the appropriate reply to Radzi on the two issues in question.

Contacted later, Kilat confirmed the committee had yet to meet, adding however that the party would submit its reply within the two-week stipulated period.

Every right to fire 12

Kilat gave an indication of the contents of the party's written response when he told malaysiakini

that the party has to take into account the provisions of its constitution on the use of the year 2000 delegates list issue.

He explained that the new branches registered after 2000 must also be accommodated.

On the expulsion issue, Kilat said unless it could be explicitly said that the party's supreme council does not have the legal and constitutional authority, it has every right to take disciplinary action against the 12.

He did not elaborate, but a senior party official said: "We probably can take back eight of the 12 sacked members. It is very clear that the action against the remaining is more than justified," he said, referring to former women's chief Josephine Mawat ( photo ), who stood on an independent ticket against BN candidate Joseph Salang in Julau during the March polls.

The other two are said to be controversial vice-president Sng Chee Hua and former secretary-general and Assistant Minister Dublin Unting, who the Tajem faction accused of openly campaigning for independent candidates during the general election.