DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh has called on party representatives who hold two seats to declare they would opt for only one in the coming general election.

Karpal said the party's central executive committee (CEC) at one of its meetings have agreed by consensus that only in "exceptional" cases should a candidate hold two seats, that is, a state and a parliamentary seat.

karpal singh pc 200812 02 He added that he had suggested that chief and party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng be considered as one of the exceptions.

"The word exceptional should be used in its fullest import. It is important for those holding two seats themselves (currently) to publicly declare they will opt for one seat.

"They should do so in the interest of Pakatan Rakyat in particular," said Karpal, at a press conference in Farlim, today.

However, Karpal said it was up to the CEC to decide which seat the candidates should give up.

He added that this should not be difficult as it was not in the public’s interest to run for a state and a parliamentary seat at the same time.

He recalled that in the past, former Penang Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu had surrendered one of his seats to concentrate on the state administration.

Chong Eu was then the assemblyperson for Padang Kota and MP for Tanjung.

"MCA has declared that they are on war footing. Likewise, Pakatan should also try to achieve that," said the Bukit Gelugor MP.

"On the other hand, there are exceptions, like for the CM, he could handle directly issues between federal and state governments," added the veteran lawyer.

No candidates shortage

The DAP has nine representatives holding two seats, three of whom are in Penang - Lim, Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy and state DAP chief Chown Kon Yeow.

p ramasamy 160211 Ramasamy ( left ) is Batu Kawan MP and Prai assemblyperson, while Chow is MP for Tanjung and assemblyperson for Padang Kota.

Meanwhile, Karpal said there should not be any difficulties to surrender seats as the DAP was now no longer short of candidates.

"We have grown in leaps and bounds and have many potential candidates. In 1990, when we vied for the state government in Penang, we who held two seats, like me and Lim Kit Siang, gave up our safe seats," he said.

Karpal said he had then given up Bukit Gelugor, which was a state seat, and Kit Siang had surrendered Kampung Kolam for Padang Kota to face former Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon.

"This call is not to cause any uneasiness but it would be in the best interest of the party and to potential candidates now, who are qualified and have shown interest," he said.

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