KUCHING, Dec 14: Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) deputy president Major (Rtd) Moses Ripai today alleges that the fall of the Dayak-based party was caused by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing.
He concurred with PBDS president Bobby William that if he (Masing) felt that his struggle was a lost cause, then he should stop fighting and just retire from politics.
“We in PBDS never have the intention to go against the government nor we do we have the intention to join the government.
“Our agenda is setting up a Dayak platform. PBDS today is led by ordinary Dayaks and we have no monopoly agenda. What we want is a Dayak political platform as a basis to articulate the issues plaguing the Dayaks and act as the “Hall Of Meeting” amongst the Dayaks intellectuals,” Moses said in a statement issued here today.
Recalling the most historic political struggle in 1987 and 1991, Moses also alleged that Masing’s challenge for presidential post against the late Datuk Seri Daniel Tajem was the beginning of the end of the party.
“That is why PRS has divided support from the Dayak community today. It can never replace the old PBDS, in fact, we the successor of the party felt that today the Dayaks have become more divided than before. With the present of Malayan element (DAP, Bersatu, PKR, Amanah and PAS) the Dayaks are now scattered everywhere,” he said.
Moses asserted that if Masing were to follow the Constitution of PBDS back then, the party would still be around today.
“With Moggie’s (Tan Sri Leo Moggie) sudden resignation and Tajem took over as president in accordance to the Constitution, Masing should just give way and follow the flow. He was the young Turk then and now he is the old Turk who advised the new generation of young Turks to keep quiet,” said Moses.
He also claimed that Masing was planted by someone to destroy the party.
Meanwhile, PBDS secretary-general Julius Enchana has called for party veterans to wake up and join the struggle of the new PBDS.
“When the party was deregistered there were reported about 100,000 Dayaks are partyless, now, the party is reborn and the veterans still failed to show up,” he said.
“Where are the veterans now, are they retired or tired with the struggle? We knew few have come back to the party and some remain silent. Wake up sleeping giant, make this as your final fight.
PBDS has been rebranded during its last Annual General-Meeting (AGM) held in Kapit to remove the word ‘Baru’. — DayakDaily
