A Keadilan leader has expressed great disappointment that negotiations between his party and the DAP for 'crucial' parliamentary and state seats in Penang for the coming general election have reached a stalemate.

Penang Keadilan chief Dr Mansor Othman revealed that DAP leaders were adamant about their right to contest Chinese-majority seats.

During the latest round of negotiations in Kuala Lumpur on July 30, DAP "did not want to budge" on predominantly Chinese areas, leaving Keadilan with mainly Malay or mixed-majority seats, Mansor claimed.

Keadilan, which merged with PRM yesterday to form a new political party Parti Keadilan Rakyat, is feeling the heat as it has been trying to make inroads into non-Malay areas since the last elections in 1999.

It is learnt that out of the 13 parliamentary seats in question in Penang, both parties are eyeing eight - Tanjong, Bukit Bendera, Jelutong, Bukit Gelugor, Batu Kawan, Bayan Baru, Bagan and Bukit Mertajam. DAP currently holds Tanjong, Bagan and Bukit Mertajam.

Out of the 40 state seats in the state, 20 have a Chinese majority. They are Paya Terubong, Bagan Jermal, Padang Kota, Island Park, Pengkalan Kota, Dato' Keramat, Sungai Pinang, Batu Lanchang, Padang Kota, Komtar, Berapit, Kebun Bunga, Machang Bubuk, Jawi, Puau Tikus, Ayer Itam, Tanjung Bungah, Bukit Tengah, Ayer Puteh, Sungai Bakap and Bayan Lepas.

DAP managed to secure only Batu Lanchang in the last general election.

'Racial politics'

When contacted, DAP publicity secretary Ronnie Liu, who heads the party's negotiating team, declined to comment on the apparent stalemate.

"Talks are going on. It is better for me not to say anything at this point," he said.

When told about the allegations made by Keadilan, Liu merely asked: "Who said that?"

Keadilan's lead negotiater, Keadilan vice-president Dr Xavier Jayakumar also refused to divulge information.

Meanwhile, Mansor urged DAP not to insist on getting all the Chinese-dominated seats, saying it would help to achieve fairer distribution and avoid contests between Opposition parties during the elections.

"We hope they will not monopolise all Chinese-majority seats. If they do, we can only describe this behavior as primitive," he told malaysiakini.

"This is going back to racial politics. That is, DAP contests only in Chinese-majority areas, and Keadilan in Malay areas. But Keadilan has also gained Chinese support and we want to break this trend of politics based on race."

Talks on the issue has been choppy ever since the two parties began to meet early this year.

'Rigid stand'

Penang Keadilan deputy chief Cheah Kah Peng said he was "deeply hurt" by the outcome of recent talks between the two parties.

"This is bad news for Penang voters as they are left with no choice. If DAP wants all seats, voters may be left with no opportunity to vote for another opposition party," he said.

"This is not the kind of results expected by our supporters. We urge them (DAP) to reconsider their rather rigid stand."

Questions are also asked on DAP's strategy of fielding one candidate for two seats in past elections. Veterans like Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh, Chong Eng and Chow Kon Yeow had contested in both parliamentary and state seats in Penang during previous outings.

"It could mean only one thing...that they may not have enough candidates to go around," said a political commentator, adding that Penang voters do not fancy voting for the same candidates in two seats.