SG BESAR POLLS Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) communication director Khalid Samad today said allegations that "Amanah is being led by DAP" did not arise as Pakatan Harapan was a coalition of equals.

"The issue of any one party dominating the coalition does not arise," said Khalid during Amanah's daily joint press conference with DAP and PKR, at its operation centre in Sungai Besar.

Khalid said this in response to a prime time news report last night that purportedly implied DAP was riding on Amanah's coattails, just as it had done with PAS in Pakatan Rakyat.

As evidence, Khalid said all three Harapan parties had made sacrifices in negotiations leading up to the ongoing Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections.

"It is common knowledge that Amanah from the beginning had intentions to contest in both by-elections.

"But based on a Harapan consensus (to secure a straight fight), efforts to negotiate with PAS was initiated by several PKR leaders and Amanah consented to the decision," said Khalid.

Selangor Menteri Besar and state PKR chief Azmin Ali was among the PKR leaders entrusted to negotiate with PAS.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and other party top leaders, however, rebuffed the attempts and eventually PAS fielded its candidates in both seats.

Khalid said PKR then consented to stop negotiations and endorse Amanah as the party to represent Harapan against PAS and BN.

"When it comes to selecting the candidate, DAP had seriously proposed for Amanah president Mohamad Sabu to be fielded in Sungai Besar and former Perak menteri besar Nizar Jamaluddin in Kuala Kangsar.

"After evaluating arguments by Harapan partners, DAP then accepted the decision to instead field local candidates for both seats," he explained.

Hadi had in his recent campaigns around Sungai Besar took potshots at Amanah leaders, claiming that an elected candidate from the party would reject all government policies, whether good or bad for the people.

This, he claimed, was because Amanah leaders were supposedly being led by DAP.