Pakatan Rakyat will put out a joint manifesto for the next general election, said PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Speaking to reporters after the Pakatan leadership council meeting today, he  said states can add local issues to the manifesto if they wish.

Pakatan, which is to contest the general election as a coalition for the first time, has vowed to mount straight fights against the BN in all seats.

PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali said seat negotiations between the allies is "90 percent complete".

NONE Among the states which have yet to resolve the matter is Sabah where there is "interesting development", according to Anwar.

Refusing to divulge details, he said Pakatan is in talks with "several parties and individuals" on seats there.

He conceded the thorny hudud issue, which is getting air time yet again, is "disconcerting for some".

"(PAS ulama council chief) Harun Taib did make a statement (on hudud) and DAP wanted clarification," Anwar said.

However, he noted that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has clearly stated that the party stands by the common policy framework which does not touch on hudud.

During the press conference earlier, Hadi had said PAS sees the Bersih issue on clean and fair polls as a more urgent matter than the hudud issue, which will only arise if Pakatan takes over the federal government.

"We will solve this internally, but our priority is Bersih. BN has intentionally used (hudud) to cover up the Bersih issue. We are not in power yet. It's important to come into power first," he said.

‘Consensus required for changes’

Commenting on this, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said Pakatan is holding true to its September 2011 decision on hudud.

He said hudud is not part of the policy framework or the Buku Jingga ,and that, based on the September 2011 decision, any changes to both must be made on the basis of consensus between DAP, PKR and PAS.

NONE Lim said hudud is not part of the common policy framework in order "to respect PAS views" on the matter, which DAP believes "contravenes the federal constitution".

"Pakatan commits to uphold the federal constitution," he said, including the special position of Malays and other indigenous people, as well as Bahasa Malaysia and Islam.

On a separate matter, Anwar sidestepped an allegation by former PKR Youth leader and now Umno senator Ezam Mohd Noor that Anwar had tried to re-join Umno in 2008.

"If we want entertain him, his price would go up in Umno," he said snidely.

Pressed by a RTM reporter, he said: "Are you be able to speak to the minister to give me three minutes on air, live? If not, then I can't answer you. (Ezam's) claim is irrelevant."

VIDEO|8.44 mins

Pakatan, now's not the time for petty squabbles