A Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) vice-president Peter Runin has lodged a police report over a 'falsehood' that the triennial delegates conference (TDC) will be held this weekend, when it has been postponed indefinitely.

"This (the police report) is to make sure that nobody makes fun of the party as its survival is paramount," Runin told reporters at PBDS headquarters in Kuching after lodging the report at the Sekama police station yesterday.

"I've heard reports of widespread falsehoods being spread (by certain people) that the TDC is still on," he claimed.

Runin, who is aligned to the faction led by president Daniel Tajem ( photo ), said it would be "tragic" if people were to travel from rural areas only to find out that the TDC is not on.

"Apart from wasting time and money, they will become frustrated and even angry with the party," he said.

Runin said he did not name names in the report, but described it as a "preventive measure to stop people from misleading party members about the status of the TDC".

He said there has been much confusion among members following yesterday's supreme council decision to postpone the TDC.

As head of the PBDS preparatory and technical committee, he said it was his duty to clarify the status.

Election rules

The party has sent out notices to all branch heads and placed advertisements in newspaper to inform members of the re-scheduling of the TDC.

Runin said this was unavoidable because the BN technical committee has not communicated with the party since mid-July, leaving little time to organise the elections.

"There is no way all election rules can be complied with, in the time left, if the TDC is held on the dates scheduled (Oct 9-10)," he said.

Runin said the party had written to the Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairperson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ( photo ) to inform him of the supreme council's decision.

We will try to meet (BN secretary-general ) Radzi Sheikh Ahmad to set a (new) date for the TDC," he said.

Runin claimed that Radzi had told the technical committee that the TDC could be re-scheduled if necessary, but with good reason.

"Make no mistake about it, we are just as eager to hold the TDC. We only want to ensure that it is properly held or the party could run into trouble again," he added.

The rival faction led by Dr James Masing has announced that it will go ahead in calling 618 delegates from 206 branches throughout Sarawak for a gathering this weekend in Santubong, near Kuching.

"With or without elections, the gathering will take place. We want the delegates to decide who they want as leaders of the party," he told malaysiakini .

PBDS, which was deregistered last December for failure to resolve the leadership tussle, was reinstated in March on condition that fresh polls are held.

It was later decided that the BN would supervise the TDC, but differences have since cropped up over the delegates' list to be used.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.