There will be no contest for the top posts at the forthcoming triennial delegates convention of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), according to top party sources in Kuching today.

Instead, they said, some 700 delegates will be asked to vote on a resolution to give Taib the mandate to pick his successor in the party and eventually as chief minister.

"The resolution has the support now of 50 divisions, with the remaining 12 divisions expected to give their support too," the sources added.

The convention will be held in Miri from Sept 15-17 and is expected to be attended by more than 1,000 delegates and observers from the 62 divisions. This will be the first convention to be held outside Kuching since PBB was formed in 1973.

With the status quo, this means Taib will continue as president until he makes a surprise announcement about stepping aside from the No 1 post in favour of the senior vice-president Adenan Satem.

Adenan is expected to remain senior vice-president along with the two deputy presidents Alfred Jabu (for Pesaka/Dayak wing) and Abang Johari Tun Openg (for the Bumiputera/Malay/Melanau wing).

It is not known, however, if there will be any contest for the six vice-presidents' posts.

But what is certain is that there will be a contest for the rest of the supreme council (SC) posts. In past polls, some elected representatives had been defeated, but remained SC members by virtue of their positions as wakil rakyat.

Sulaiman's role

Much talked about within PBB is the likely entry of Taib's son Sulaiman, 36, into politics, beginning as a SC member. He will possibly be appointed treasurer to succeed Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

Reports circulating about Sulaiman has caused tongues to wag, with people trying to guess Taib's political agenda, and how this could affect Adenan. ( photo )

Because there is no official statement, the local media has not yet mentioned anything about the forthcoming convention.

Jabu has confirmed it will be held in September, but has kept silent on the venue and date.

Sources also said the convention could also provide clues on the date of the upcoming state elections, due by the end of next year.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.