Three Orang Ulu personalities are being tipped as favourites to fill the shoes of Dr Judson Tagal, the community representative who died in the July 12 helicopter crash near Bario in Sarawak.

Judson, 49, was secretary-general of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and the Ba'Kelalan state assembly representative, as well as an assistant minister in the state cabinet.

A by-election will have to be held within 60 days as the elections for the 62-seat state legislature are due only by September 2006.

One front-runner is Jelaing Mersat, the chief minister's political secretary, who may succeed Judson in the party post during a forthcoming conference at which Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is to officiate.

Jelaing, 53, is an experienced bureaucrat who silenced his critics when he defeated Sarawak National Party (Snap) secretary-general, Edmund Stanley Jugol in the Saratok parliamentary seat, with a thumping majority in the general election concluded on March 21.

Born in Saratok, he is a Universiti Malaya graduate who served as an educationist prior to entering politics.

Jelaing was senior political secretary to then Deputy Minister of National Unity, Peter Tinggom, before succeeding him as Saratok member of Parliament.

He played a key role in the Snap crisis that led to a second breakaway group forming SPDP in 2002. In 1983, the first breakaway group saw the birth of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) - which is currently struggling to avoid deregistration for the second time.

While others believe that the soft-spoken Nelson Balan Rining, who was Judson's private secretary, has the edge, there is also speculation that teacher William Ghani Bina may be a name to consider as well.

He wears several hats - as president of the Lun Bawang Association, Sarawak Teachers Union and the Sarawak Labour Council, among others.

Moving about on his trademark 'kapchai' (motorcycle below 100cc) Ghani has made the presence of Sarawak's smallest community felt.

More names

Another potential candidate from the Orang Ulu community is Lihan Jok, the state assembly representative for Telang Usan, who made detractors eat their words in 2001 when he secured this problematic seat for Barisan Nasional.

The former teacher unseated incumbent Kebing Wan, a former Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member and the chief minister's political secretary.

In doing so, Lihan also overcame the problem of 'sibling rivalry' between Orang Ulu cliques such as Kenyah, Kayan, Kelabit, Bisaya, Murut, Lun Bawang and Lundayeh.

A former teacher, Lihan is seen as a humble person who only speaks when it matters. Recently, he highlighted the fact that Telang Usan - which is as large as the state of Pahang - has been without the services of a doctor for many years.

However, as a PBB member, he is unlikely to fill Judson's cabinet post unless PBB and SPDP manage to work out a formula in the interests of the Orang Ulu.

Insiders therefore believe that the cabinet post is likely to be handed to SPDP vice-president Peter Nansian of Bau and an accountant by training. He is now a successful businessman.

If so, Nansian will become the second Bidayuh in the state cabinet after Michael Manyin, the Environment and Public Health Minister.

JIMMY TEOH is malaysiakini 's Sarawak-based stringer