Pakatan Rakyat has admitted it might not meet its goal of seizing power by next Tuesday as it sent a delegation to pursue potential defectors from the government on a trip to Taiwan.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has repeatedly said he is "on track" to topple the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition by Sept 16 but his party said yesterday for the first time in a statement that it could be delayed.

september 16 political party jump "The process of transformation to a new government... is proceeding smoothly and we believe that Barisan Nasional will be replaced in a very short period," it said.

"The date might be delayed from September 16... but the agenda is still going on," it said, adding that one complicating factor had been the government's move to ship lawmakers overseas this week.

The statement was signed jointly by PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim, PAS secretary-general Kamarudin Jaffar and DAP political education director Loke Siew Fook.

The ruling coalition sent 49 parliamentarians on a controversial and hastily arranged "study trip" to Taiwan, in what Anwar has said is an attempt to "corral and seclude" parliamentarians amid the high-stakes negotiations.

Leaders of Anwar's PKR, which fronts the three-member opposition alliance, were headed there today to meet up with the delegation, in a "gatecrashing" move that is likely to irritate the government.

bersih protest constitution amendment 071207 tian chua "We are looking forward to meeting with BN MPs and to have discussions and meals with them," Keadilan information chief Tian Chua ( left ), who is leading the four-person team, told AFP .

"Our team will also meet with Taiwan's government and opposition parties to brief them on the political situation in Malaysia," he added.

Tour to officially end tomorrow

The leader of the government tour, Tiong King Sing, told the New Straits Times he was not worried about the opposition plans.

"They can send their leader, they can send whoever they want. It is up to them," he told the paper. "We have no fear."

tiong king sing Tiong ( left ), who is chairman of the government Backbenchers Club also told Singapore's Straits Times that the tour will officially finish tomorrow.

"In fact, about five to six MPs had already gone back on Wednesday."

However, he said that a few of the parliamentarians may extend their stay in Taiwan by one or two days.

But he said he did not know about any MPs making such plans, even

though personally he is planning a private trip to China and possibly

Vietnam before heading home.

Anwar needs 30 of the 140 coalition lawmakers to defect to form a new government. Most of the potential crossovers are believed to be from the Sabah and Sarawak.