Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) faction leader Dr James Masing has set a conciliatory note to the leadership crisis in the party in his speech at a function in Kanowit yesterday.

That tone was clearly noticed when he spoke during a ground-breaking ceremony at an Iban longhouse, indicating his apparent delight over the surprise presence of PBDS vice-president and Ngemah state assemblyperson Gabriel Adit.

Adit is aligned with the faction led by PBDS president Daniel Tajem.

Although he was also invited, Kanowit MP Aaron Dagang, also aligned with the Tajem group, was not present. He was said to be busy with another function.

Speaking to malaysiakini, Masing, who is state land development minister, said there was "a more friendly atmosphere" among party leaders now.

"All party leaders had gone through 'thick and thin' together and there is no reason why we should not try to reconcile for the sake of the party," he reasoned.

Tajem, meanwhile, responded to Masing's conciliatory note by saying that he (Tajem) was in fact encouraging the younger leaders in the party (from both factions) "to mix around as the party's future depends on them."

He said: "I am already old and as an elderly politician, I encourage the younger group to mix around."

In his response, Masing said: 'This is an encouraging remark and coming from an elderly politician, this should be encouraged."

Pushed to a corner?

Several of Tajem's supporters and most observers are not surprised, however, at such conciliatory gestures, saying that Masing and his group may have been pushed to a corner as other parties in the BN have made their stance known on accommodating disgruntled PBDS elected representatives.

The Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) and Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) are said to hold strong reservations about making such accommodation.

Recently, another state BN component Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) amended its constitution to bar new members from holding important party posts for at least six years.

Against this background, the Masing faction is left with little choice but to make a bid for leadership control of PBDS.

So long as the federal BN leadership want the Dayak-based party intact and would not consider allowing a new party to be formed in Sarawak, the options for Masing and his supporters appear to be limited.

According to informed sources, the Masing faction has sent out feelers in trying to assess if the Tajem faction would be amendable to a leadership line-up formula ahead of the party's triennial delegates conference (TDC) in October 9-10.

The Tajem faction is said to be acting cautiously and would prefer to let the delegates decide on who they want to lead the party for the next three years.

"If the party elections proceeded smoothly and the delegates on their own free will made their decisions, there would be no reason for anybody to take any further action against the party like threatening it with another round of de-registration," the sources added.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.