Sarawak ROS director James Ho has been dragged into the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) quarrels, leading him to call a press conference today to clarify his position and declare the department's neutral stand.

"We also do not play a mediator role," he told a press conference following a report in today's Borneo Post quoting a senior PRS official Henry Opang Luhat aligned to party president Dr James Masing as claiming that ROS officials had told the group that a supreme council meeting held on June 14 this year and chaired by Masing's deputy Sng Chee Hua was illegal.

The same newspaper report quoted Opang, appointed by Masing as deputy secretary-general as saying that the same SC meeting had no legal standing whatsoever to organise or change anything within the party.

According to him, this implied that all decisions, including the censure motion against Masing as president and the holding of this weekend's extraordinary delegates conference (EDC), would, therefore, be null and void, illegal and against the party constitution.

A visibly upset Ho told reporters the senior PRS official should not have put words into his mouth.

"I never said those things. You have a mouth and can eat whatever you want but don't simply say what you want," said the ROS director, apparently angry at the reported comments and holding a copy of the newspaper in front of him.

Ho said that he had met both sides and listened (to their grouses), emphasising that throughout the ROS has adopted a neutral stance. "I don't want to say it but I know there are problems within the party."

Waiting for Putrajaya's decision

The Sng faction has complained about the sacking of the principal office-bearers, including the secretary-general Sidi Munan, as being unconstitutional because no show cause letters were sent out. The Masing faction also complained to the ROS about the June 14 meeting as being illegal.

Ho said the ROS will make a decision on the complaints raised by the rival factions only on the basis of 'solid evidence' before it could act.

"We've carried out the investigations, submitted the report and is now waiting for the reply from ROS headquarters (in Putrajaya)," he added.

On the forthcoming EDC called by the Sng faction, he declined to comment on it saying "it (EDC) is a matter within the party".

"The department will not send any officer to attend either, although they have been invited. The ROS has nothing to do with the EDC," Ho said.

Meanwhile, the focus of attention will be on tomorrow's emergency supreme council meeting called by the Sng faction to discuss, among other things, the date, time and place for the party's triennial delegates conference (TDC).