KUALA LUMPUR: The opposition pact’s seat negotiations still hit a snag in at least five states as their respective state leaders scramble to resolve the differences.
The opposition pact partners, PKR, DAP and PAS, are still unable to finalise the seat negotiations for Johor, Pahang, Sarawak, Perak and Kedah where the leaders have asked for more time to resolve the differences, mostly over overlapping claims.
“The August deadline was just a guideline. A few states have asked for extension to resolve the matter. It only involves a few seats, not many,” said PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution when contacted yesterday.
The opposition leaders were supposed to wrap up negotiations over the allocation of state and parliamentary seats for the next general election as soon as possible to avoid any conflict among the three parties.
PAS and DAP are said to be eyeing some parliamentary seats won by PKR in the 2008 general election, but
which it lost due to defections.
In the 2008 general election, the opposition pact secured 82 parliamentary seats, with PKR emerging as the largest opposition party in Parliament with 31 seats, DAP having 28 and PAS 23.
The opposition pact managed to wrest control of four states — Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah — and retained
Kelantan.
However, seven PKR members of parliament quit the party after the elections and became independents, and BN took back Perak after three state assemblymen (two from PKR and one from DAP) quit their parties and became independent elected representatives.
In the recently concluded Sarawak state election, PKR and DAP locked horns over several key seats, which resulted in the much-publicised row between the leaders of the two parties. — Bernama