No split over seat allocations, says Pakatan | Free Malaysia Today

No split over seat allocations, says Pakatan

Syed Jaymal Zahiid | September 22, 2011-FMT

Differences of opinion are normal, according to the opposition leader.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat denied it was divided over seat allocations for the looming general election, saying it should be finalised at the end of this month.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said it was not true that the component parties are squabbling for seats among themselves as reported by the media, adding that it was merely differences of opinion which is normal.

“Sometimes there are differences of opinion over negotiations for parliamentary and state seats but it is normal.

“But it is not true that negotiations have failed,” he told reporters after chairing Pakatant’s leadership council meeting here.

The PKR de facto leader added that each Pakatan’s state branch would submit its line-up to the central committee by month-end.

He said that should they fail, the top leadership would “intervene”.

The widespread reports of in-fighting had prompted PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution to instruct party leaders to stop going to the press to voice their discontent over seat negotiations.

He said doing so would only damage the relationship among the coalition parties.

Meanwhile, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali said several states have concluded negotiations and submitted their respective line-ups to the central leadership, but stopped short of revealing them.

“I cannot say which states have completed them, but we have told those who have not to proceed with negotiations.

“If they do not complete them within the stipulated timeframe, the central leadership will step in to resolve the remaining seats in question,” Mustafa said.

PKR took 31 seats in the 12th general election, making it the largest opposition party in Parliament while PAS, despite being the biggest Pakatan party in terms of membership, had the smallest representation in Parliament with only 23 MPs.

However, defections by five of its lawmakers have now made DAP the leading opposition in the Dewan Rakyat.

The five seats have also become a point of contention among the three Pakatan parties in the negotiations.

Mustafa said talks are still proceeding on the five constituencies but expressed confidence that it can be solved within the deadline.

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