Following yesterday's official confirmation that there will be no contest for the top posts in Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), attention is now focused on the seven vice-president posts.

PBB deputy president (Bumiputera/Malay/Melanau wing) and state Housing Minister Abang Johari Tun Openg announced that the party had agreed there would be no contest for the president, two deputy president and two senior vice-president posts at the party's convention on Sept 15-16.

Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has been PBB president since 1981 and unless he decides to step down on his own accord, the veteran politician is expected to be returned unopposed for a new three-year term.

Besides Johari, the other deputy president (Pesaka/Dayak) is Deputy Chief Minister and Rural Development Minister Alfred Jabu, an Iban.

After the 1998 party elections when Johari was first elected deputy president after defeating Federal Natural Resources and Environment Minister Adenan Satem, the party created the two senior vice- president posts - filled by Adenan and Celestine Ujang, an Iban and former state minister.

They were all returned unopposed in the 2002 party convention.

Focus on Bumiputera wing

The constitution provides for seven vice-president posts, with four slots going to the Bumiputera/Malay/Melanay wing and three to the Pesaka/Iban/Bidayuh/Orang Ulu wing.

The incumbent vice-presidents from the Bumiputera wing are former agriculture minister Dr Sulaiman Daud, another former agriculture minister Effendi Norwawi and Tourism Minister Leo Michael Toyad.

The fourth vice-president post has been left vacant since Adenan was elevated to the senior vice- president post.

Among the three vice president posts slotted for the Pesaka wing, the two elected incumbents are state Minister of Environment and Public Health Michael Manyin, a Bidayuh, and Orang Ulu lawyer cum businessman Stephen Wan Ullok. The third incumbent Celestine, a former housing minister, has since been elevated to senior vice-president.

The vice-presidents normally represent the second-echelon leadership and include mostly ministers or assistant ministers or elected representatives.

The matter of interest in this coming party elections is who will fill the vice-president slots for the Bumiputera wing with Sulaiman and Effendi likely to drop out

The contenders, according to sources, are many, and among those mentioned are state Assistant Minister of Industrial Development Daud Abdul Rahman, Sarawak Housing Commission chairperson Wahab Aziz, former state assistant minister Wahab Dolah, state Second Minister of Resource Management and Planning Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, state Assistant Minister of Environment and Public Health Dr Abang Rauf Abang Zen, state Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Office Naroden Majais, state Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Office DolhassanDi, and Leo Michael Toyad.

Election of vice-presidents for the Pesaka wing is expected to be quite a straight forward affair, with possibly Stephen Wan Ullok giving way to Telang Usan state assemblyperson Lihan Jok and state Assistant Minister of Rural Development Gramong Juna, an Iban, also made a vice-president. Michael Manyin is expected to remain as one of the vice-presidents.

There are 20 elected ordinary supreme council posts - with 11 reserved for the Bumiputera wing and the rest for the Pesaka wing.

Adenan's supporters unhappy

Meanwhile, according to sources, Adenan Satem's supporters are reported to be 'rather unhappy' that the leadership had decided 'not to choose party leaders through the democratic process'.

The senior vice president's supporters are said to be 'raring to go' and have been trying to reach out to members to get their message across at a series of development seminars .

The seminars organised by the Chief Minister's Office and the Rural Development Ministry are attended largely by PBB members.

The next seminar will be held in Betong in June to be followed by another in Samarahan and culminating with the last in Mukak probably before the PBB convention in Miri.

According to a close associate of Johari, the PBB deputy president remained 'cool and unperturbed' by the series of road shows. He was quoted as saying: "They organise, we watch."

Recent developments appear to indicate that Johari, son of Sarawak's first post-Independence governor the late Tun Openg, is still in the running for the top post. One senior PBB politician said: " Johari has passed the test."

What is meant by that comment is not clear, but it seems to indicate Taib has observed how Johari reacted to recent developments and the manner does seem to impress the former, particularly when any ordinary politician would have started his own road shows to prove that he too has support from party members.

Divisions are meeting

PBB divisions are already meeting, and Johari in his capacity as deputy president officiated the Pantai Damai division meet in Kuching on Sunday. At the meeting, state assemblyperson Dr Abdul Rahman was returned unopposed as division chief.

The Demak Laut division which is headed by Abang Rauf is expected to meet in June, and the Satok division which is headed by Johari, in mid July. It is learnt that Taib has been invited to officiate the Satok division meeting.

A party source said no significant changes are expected in the women and youth wing elections.

State Assistant Minister of Welfare Sharifah Mordia who is PBB Wanita chief is expected to retain her post, although there is talk of a move in some quarters for her to be challenged by a younger Wanita leader Fatimah Abdullah who is a state assistant minister.

The Youth wing leader is Deputy Transport Minister Douglas Uggah who is expected to be returned unopposed along with his deputy Karim Abdul Rahman Hamzah, the Asajaya state assemblyperson and political secretary to the chief minister.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini 's Sarawak-based stringer.