PKR will let go of Bentong for two state seats
Pahang PKR has announced that it is willing to give the Bentong parliamentary constituency to the DAP for Himpunan Hijau chief Wong Tack to contest - in exchange for two state seats previously contested by DAP.
Pahang PKR has announced that it is willing to give the Bentong parliamentary constituency to the DAP for Himpunan Hijau chief Wong Tack to contest - in exchange for two state seats previously contested by DAP.
The two state seats are Ketari under the Bentong parliamentary constituency, and Tanah Rata, which comes under Cameron Highlands. Both seats were won by the BN on marginal majorities in the last general election.
Pahang PKR election director of strategy Zaidi Ahmad is quoted by China Press today as telling a press conference in Kuantan yesterday that the seat exchange decision came out of several rounds of meetings with Pakatan Rakyat leaders in the state.
Zaidi even announced Bentong PKR chief Mohd Nor Hassan and Cameron Highlands chief Tan Wei Wun would be the candidates for the Ketari and Tanah Rata seats respectively.
No such decision, says Pahang DAP chief
In total, Pahang PKR will contest five parliamentary and 16 state seats.
The parliamentary seats are Pekan, Kuantan, Indera Mahkota, Paya Besar and Temerloh while the state seats are Tanah Rata, Benta, Cheka, Dong, Ketari, Lanchang, Damak, Jenderak, Kuala Sentul, Kemayan, Lepar, Semambu, Teruntum, Chini, Bebar and Muadzam Shah.
However, Pahang DAP chief Leong Ngah Ngah later denied the seat allocations as announced by Zaidi.
He told China Press that DAP would field its candidates in its traditional constituencies, including Ketari and Tanah Rata.
Leong, who is also Teriang assemblyperson, said the allocation of seats among the coalition members would be decided by the top Pakatan leadership.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Wong announced on Tuesday that Wong would contest in Bentong on the DAP ticket incumbent Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai.
DAP and PKR battled for Bentong in 2004 and 2008 respectively, but were defeated by Liow with comfortable majorities of more than 10,000 votes in both the general elections.
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