Selangor DAP chief Teresa Kok has shot down claims that the party has its sights set on the state menteri besar post.

selangor dap congress 2011 teresa kok At a Pakatan Rakyat press conference in Shah Alam today, Kok (left) said the state’s seat composition would make it impractical for DAP to claim leadership of the state government.

“If you look at the 2008 general election, DAP only contested 15 out of 56 state seats, and four out of the 22 federal seats in Selangor,”  she said.

“I am curious as to how people can say DAP wants the Selangor menteri besar’s post. Based on DAP’s influence in the state, that would be impossible.”

The Pakatan state leadership had finalised seat allocations a “long time ago”, she added.

'Status quo in seat allocation'

Noting that DAP had initially requested for Malay-majority seats to field its Malay candidates, PAS deputy commissioner Khalid Samad said the move had been intended to shed DAP's ‘Chinese-centric image’ rather than to gun for the top post in the state.

NONE "But PAS and PKR had expressed concern that this would be exploited by Umno (which could claim) that DAP is power-crazy and that PAS and PKR are traitors to the (Malay) race," he said.

The idea was abandoned because consensus could not be achieved. As such, the seat allocation for the next general election will remain the same as in 2008.

Khalid (right in photo) said the DAP is expected to contest 15 state seats, while PAS and PKR will contest 20 and 21 seats respectively.

PAS, however, is prepared to help DAP shed the 'chauvinist’ label that the BN has given it, just as the DAP has helped PAS to shed its 'extremist’ label.

"For now, the matter of the menteri besar’s appointment does not arise. Pakatan is satisfied with the current menteri besar (Abdul Khalid Ibrahim) and there are no plans for change."