DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang is sticking to his guns on the proposed merger with Snap, insisting that it is aimed at strengthening Pakatan Rakyat and not to drive a wedge between member-parties.

Repeating that this is only at the preliminary stage, he said the plan is a way for the opposition coalition to avoid multi-cornered contests while boosting the mobilisation and political awakening of Sarawak’s “Ubah generation”.

“I have not ye lim kit siang in manek urai t raised it at the DAP central executive committee and I am discussing it for the first time with the Sarawak DAP committee,” he wrote in his blog today.

“If we decide that the idea is worth exploring, then we should continue to take serious note of bona fide comments, criticism and feedback from all quarters. (When the time is ripe), the DAP will have to discuss the proposal at the Pakatan level with the other leaders.”

Lim’s views were taken off his speech, which he delivered during a meeting with the Sarawak DAP committee members and 12 elected state assemblypersons in Sibu yesterday.

Admitting to having a “soft spot” for Snap due to his long association with the party that goes back to the 1960s, he said the merger plan is an important measure to push the “Ubah political awakening in Sarawak to its full flush of victory” come the next general election.

He defended Pakatan’s performance in the April 16 Sarawak polls from accusations that the coalition had ridden on Chinese support for the DAP, stressing that the results show a strong minority of bumiputera voters backing DAP and Pakatan.

Lim pointed out that the opposition enjoyed a 14.2 percent swing in support from Ibans, 17.9 percent among Bidayuhs, 18.4 percent among the Malays and 20.5 percent among the Orang Ulu, “in many areas” in Sarawak.

From strength to strength

He scoffed at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s confidence that the proposed merger would fail, and expressed more concern about fears in some quarters that this could jeopardise Pakatan.

“This I find it difficult to understand. The suggestion of a DAP-Snap merger is to strengthen and consolidate Pakatan gains in Sarawak and not to weaken or undermine them.”

Lim however reiterated that the final decision on whether or not the proposal can move forward lies with Snap leaders.

" azlan If the Snap leadership does not support the proposal of a DAP-Snap merger, then that is the end of the proposal,” he said.

Lim’s proposal, announced last week, has set tongues wagging in political circles with talk that it could cause a rift within Pakatan, particularly since PKR and Snap had failed to reach an accord prior to the state election.

Leaders from within PKR and Snap were vocally opposed to the plan, though PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim took a more diplomatic approach, saying they “have no problem” with Lim raising the issue at the Pakatan leadership level.

Despite opposition from Snap’s leadership to the idea, party advisor Daniel Tajem today advised them not to dismiss Lim’s proposal as they “aren’t doing anything worse”.

 

It was yesterday reported that Sarawak DAP state chairperson Wong Ho Leng had said that Pakatan leaders would meet on May 1 to discuss the proposed merger.

Wong later clarified in a posting on Twitter that the said meeting will not be of national-level Pakatan leaders but merely a discussion between state PKR, DAP and PAS leaders to discuss a shadow cabinet.