PARTI Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) president Bobby William is livid with a sacked deputy for asking the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to investigate the former’s resignation and the spate of terminations in the race-based opposition party.

The deputy president, Sai Malaka, had yesterday gone to the media in Sibu to disclose that William had resigned as president but prior to him stepping down, he had sacked him and seven other members of the supreme council.

Malaka claimed he and the other seven were never given any show cause letter.

He said they were only informed by a letter, dated April 18 and signed by William, that they were “sacked”, adding that the party’s secretary-general, Kipli Ayom, had also resigned.

William, who confirmed he tendered his resignation on April 20, accused Malaka of not only breaching party discipline for lifting the lid on his resignation “prematurely”, but had also gone over the head of deputy president Moses Ripai, who had now assumed party leadership, in making those disclosures.

“Moses was supposed to make the announcements at his time of choice,” Williams told The Malaysian Insight.

William also said Malaka’s claim that the secretary-general had resigned was untrue.

On Malaka’s and the “sacking” of seven other supreme council members, William said they were not sacked, but “terminated.”

He said he had constitutionally appointed Malaka and the seven, Emelia Ambrose (vice president), Sawing Kedit (vice president), Robert Saweng (youth chief), Susan George (women chief) and ordinary members Entusa Iman, Tonny Sepawi and Ismail Lumut.

However, when the president steps down, all members of the supreme council he had appointed will have their appointments automatically terminated.

“Whoever I appointed, will be terminated. It’s the prerogative of the president. The terminations are in line with the constitution.

“After this it is Ripai’s right, as acting president, to appoint whoever he deems fit to fill in the vacant posts,” William said.

PBDS has three deputy presidents – one elected, two appointed. Ripai was elected while Malaka and Julius Enchana Jasper Ancho were appointed.

William also questioned Malaka’s motive in dragging the ROS to probe his resignation and the termination of appointed supreme council members.

“I resigned. Why does he have to ask the ROS to investigate me?

“Can’t I resign? Is it wrong or a crime for me to resign?”

William said Malaka and the party should instead be thankful he has stepped aside to allow others to lead.

“I am giving other Dayaks the opportunity to lead.”

William said he resigned to “focus on my business and family”.

Calling Malaka a “desperate man”, William said the former could be fearing for his position in the party.

“He might be fearful that Ripai would not reappoint him as deputy president.”

PBDS, founded in 2013, is a party revived by Dayak diehards of another party with the same name, which was deregistered over an unresolved leadership dispute in 2004. – April 25, 2023.