A top Penang DAP leader has requested ally PKR to sacrifice several seats to make way for Malay candidates from DAP in the general election.

zulkifli mohd noor pc 260811 02 Zulkifli Mohd Noor, DAP state committee member, said the DAP has “no choice” but to request at least one parliament and five state seats from PKR in Penang in the coming polls.

Should DAP fail to field Malay candidates in the next election, it may be perceived to be "anti-Malay and chauvinistic", said Zulkifli, who is also a Penang City Council member.

He added the party would be perceived as such even though history have shown that there were Malay candidates who contested in 13 seats in previous state elections.

"Several elections have showed, for example in Sarawak, that voters were more likely to support the DAP than PKR," he said at a press conference yesterday.

"That is why DAP must take this opportunity to field more Malay candidates from the party.”

Eyeing Batu Maung state seat?

In March 2008, DAP contested 19 state seats in Penang, while PKR fought in 16 and PAS, five. For parliament seats, DAP stood in seven seats while PKR contested four and PAS, two.

penang state seat 2008 breakdown In total, the three parties won 29 out of 40 state seats and 11 out of 13 federal seats.

Zulkifli declined to state which seats the Malay DAP members were eyeing, but it is speculated that they may be targeting Batu Maung state seat, currently held by PKR’s Abdul Malek Kasim, who is also the state exco member.

He said the Malays will find it difficult to accept DAP should the community not be represented, thereby affecting the party’s chances of ruling the state.

"In Penang, if all the Malay candidates from PKR lose their seats in the next polls, it is not possible for the state government to last for long with representatives who are solely Chinese and Indians," he added.

"There are indeed some truth in all the demands raised by the various Malay NGOs (which called for more Malay representation in the state government)," he stressed.

Zulkifli was responding to the recent challenge by Penang Malay Congress (PMC) which demanded more Malay leaders who are bolder than the present ones to be appointed in the state executive committee.

PMC has also dared the DAP to field at least five Malay candidates in the coming polls, which is speculated to be called as early as November. The current government’s term only expires in 2013.

Make it harder for Umno to win

Zulkifli said he would personally raise the matter with the DAP leadership so that the issue does not appear like a threat and affect ties among Pakatan component parties.

He added that the fielding of Malay candidates must not be overlooked as DAP’s Malay candidates in the past shown respectable performance at the polls, with some losing only by slim majorities.

guan eng on bersih 090711 showing sms In Petaling Jaya on Thursday, DAP national secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the party would consider Malay candidates in the polls.

Meanwhile, Zulkifli said based on recent internal survey, Malay support for DAP has increased dramatically, compared to the time when the party was in the opposition.

Zulkifli said BN is aware that one of the strategies to beat Pakatan in Penang is to ensure all Malay candidates in PKR lose their seats.

"But if there were Malay candidates from the DAP, this would make it more difficult for BN to win because there would be a high percentage of non-Malay support for these candidates if they stand in a mixed seat under the party's ticket," he explained.