In the past two general elections - 2004 and 2008 - PKR had a daunting task finding winnable candidates as the party was young, fragile and yet to prove its clout on the national stage.

But this is not the case any more, said Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman, as the party has been able to attract many who are competing to stand in various constituencies.

PKR is now spoilt for choice as there are many requests and nominations pouring in for candidates who are interested in the next general election, which may be called as early as November, he added.

The interested candidates are either nominated by the state or divisions, or they apply directly to inform the party leadership of their desire to join the contest, Mansor said.

NONE "We used to lack good candidates when elections came around, but this time, people want to contest, and we have many to choose from," he told Malaysiakini in a recent interview.

"I recently attended a central committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur, I see that there are hundreds who want to contest. We no longer have difficulty finding candidates," Mansor ( above ) added.

Mansor, who is Penang Deputy Chief Minister I, explained that members used to avoid contesting under the PKR banner because of all the negative propaganda against the party, especially in the mainstream media.

Mocked before, stronger now, claim

PKR has been constantly mocked as the weakest link in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, with DAP and PAS enjoying stronger grassroot support, he said.

"But this year, the competition (to contest under PKR) is great despite all the allegations that we are weak," he added.

It remains uncertain whether Pakatan will maintain its previous formula for state and parliamentary seats in Penang in the election, which must be called by 2013.

In 2008, DAP contested 19 seats, PKR 16 and PAS five. For parliamentary, DAP went for seven seats, PKR four and PAS two.

Pakatan collectively won 29 out of 40 state seats and 11 out of 13 federal seats.

Umno retained 11 state seats while its allies Gerakan and MCA were completely routed.

But two years down the road, two of PKR's MPs quit the party, citing differences with the leadership, including opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Critical observers are doubtful if PKR, plagued by leadership problems and crossovers, can win back the two constituencies with a comfortable majority.

Leaping frogs no longer an issue

But the Penanti assemblyperson views the duo's departure and crossover of other leaders as a "non-issue" as the party was prepared for the challenges ahead.

NONE "We are confident of keeping the seats as the people are aware of what has become of the quitting MPs," he added.

Zahrain Mohd Hashim (Bayan Baru) and Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) left to become independents.

Tan recently joined Zaid Ibrahim's Kita, to become the party's state chief in Penang, while Zahrain has often been sighted at BN-organised functions.

Mansor was tight-lipped on the question of the number of seats PKR was eyeing in Penang for the coming polls.

He refused to spill the beans on the progress of seat negotiations within the state, saying as he was under a gag order by the leadership, he could not comment on the matter.

"All I can say for now is that the party has reached the final stages of its negotiations. We can't continue to say we are discussing when the election is so near," he said.

"Each party has stated its own requirements, demands and presentation. We are confident we can overcome whatever challenges arising out of discussions with our allies," he added.

"We know what PKR wants, we are quite confident of what we want. It is when we do not know what we want that we encounter problems," he said.

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