Kit Siang predicts Pakatan win in seven states

Kit Siang predicts Pakatan win in seven states

March 27, 2013
Malaysian Insider

Despite his positive prediction, Lim said he saw BN and PR’s chances of winning as level, with the former having the upper hand. — file picKUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) can win seven states in Election 2013, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has said, predicting that the federal opposition could improve on its historic win of five states in the 2008 elections.

In 2008, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority and five states — Penang, Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah and Perak — to PKR, DAP, PAS, the three parties that later formed PR.

In an interview with Sin Chew Daily, Lim said that it was possible for PR to retain its hold on the four states and regain Perak, a state which it lost after a few PR state assemblymen defected.
But he appeared to admit that PAS’ hold on Kedah was not as firm, amid past reports that there was infighting within the administration there.

The DAP parliamentary leader said PR would be able to win Negeri Sembilan and Perlis, once again expressing the pact’s hope to wrest control of Putrajaya.

In 2008, PR had won 15 out of 36 state seats in Negeri Sembilan and would only need to gain four more to take the state, Sin Chew reported today.

Lim also said that PR had found that the people in Perlis wanted a change.

Despite his positive prediction, Lim said he saw BN and PR’s chances of winning as level, with the former having the upper hand.

Lim will head the opposition pact’s attack into Johor, a BN stronghold, where he predicted that PR would be able to wipe out its political enemies if it wins one-third of the state and parliamentary seats there.

“Johor is not only the birthplace of Umno, it is also MCA and Umno’s stronghold. If Johor is defeated by Pakatan Rakyat, Umno and MCA will have difficulty in regaining their strength,” he was quoted as saying by the Chinese-language paper today.

The Ipoh Timor MP was recently reported to be moving to Johor to contest in the Gelang Patah seat.
In the same interview, Lim did not rule out the possibility that opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, now Permatang Pauh MP, would move to Perak to contest instead.

Ahead of Election 2013, both sides have talked up their chances of securing a win in the hotly anticipated general election, with PR sources saying that it is confident of gaining nearly 140 parliamentary seats.

The Malaysian Insider had previously reported that surveys by BN showed that it could win up to 145 federal seats, above the 112 seats required for a simple majority but below 148 seats for a two-thirds majority.

But independent surveys show that BN could scrape through with 117 seats to PR’s 105.

Election 2013 would see politicians fighting for 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats.