PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has apparently given Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin the power to choose a substantial number of candidates for the coming general election as a condition for defecting to the opposition, the New Straits Times reports.

"It is learnt that Bumburing will be given the power to choose the coalition candidates for non-Muslim bumiputera constituencies, while Lajim will pick the opposition pact's flag bearers for the Muslim bumiputera areas.

NONE "Both Bumburing and Lajim are said to have started scouting for potential candidates long before they announced their decision to throw their weight behind the opposition," the mainstream English daily says in a report today.

Quoting unnamed PKR divisional leaders, the report said many PKR grassroots leaders feared that the alleged 'power' given by Anwar to Bumburing and Lajim might mean they would not be considered as candidates.

"I have this lingering concern that our contributions as divisional PKR leaders may be ignored, as it is common for those entrusted to choose candidates to pick their allies or those who are close to them," New Straits Times quotes a PKR division head in a Kadazandusun majority area as saying.

However, the report described the 'deal' as a politically smart move as the duo could use the 'power' given to them as bait to tempt other BN leaders to join forces with them in their coalition.

The newspapers also said several Upko leaders, including vice-president Maijol Mahap and supreme council member Petrus Guriting, have already decided to follow the footsteps of Bumburing, who has resigned as Upko deputy president.

"Mahap is said to be eyeing either the Kota Marudu parliamentary or Tandek state seat, while Guriting is reportedly interested in contesting the Tambunan state seat."

Bumburing is the MP for Tuaran while Lajim is the MP for Beaufort. Both of them announced their decision to support the opposition through a new political platform called the Sabah Reform Front last Sunday, in the presence of Anwar.