Keadilan has formed a three-member committee to negotiate seat allocations with its former opposition pact ally DAP ahead of the general election due by next year.

Its vice-president Azmin Ali said that this was decided at the party's supreme council meeting yesterday.

"The meeting yesterday appointed three supreme council members to this committee to start negotiations with DAP as part of our preparation for the general election," Azmin told malaysiakini today.

He did not reveal the names of the committee members.

The general election is due by November next year, but is predicted by opposition parties to be held sometime this year. The parties have started preparations to counter the ruling Barisan Nasional machinery.

Azmin said he will be writing soon to DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock to seek a meeting over this matter.

Party's preparedness level

Azmin, who is Keadilan's election campaign director, added that at the meeting, the party hierarchy also discussed the party's preparedness for the general elections.

"Each bureau and state chief also presented their working papers o­n their preparation for the elections. We also discussed ways of further improving our election machinery."

In the last general election, DAP was part of opposition pact Barisan Alternatif that included Keadilan, PAS and PRM. However DAP severed its ties with the pact in September 2001 over its dispute with PAS o­n the Islamic state issue.

Since then DAP has refused to be part of a similar opposition pact but has indicated its willingness to work individually with Keadilan.

DAP has also expressed its wish to negotiate with Keadilan o­n seat allocations, especially when it comes to defending their "traditional seats".

However, this prompted a chiding from Keadilan who said DAP should not use the "traditional seats" as bargaining chips in the discussions.

A failure in coming to an understanding will o­nly create a situation in which more than o­ne opposition party is contesting in a constituency. This is something both Keadilan and DAP want to avoid.

'We have been waiting'

Contacted for comment, Kerk expressed his willingness to sit and discuss with Keadilan o­n this matter.

"We have been waiting for their reply since last December when I wrote them o­n this. Let's meet and talk about this," he said.

Kerk added that DAP has appointed its publicity chief Ronnie Liu to head the negotiation o­n its side.

"Now, we might appoint another two for the talks," he added.