Don't 'twist facts' on Pahang BN-PN negotiations, Saifuddin tells MB

Pahang Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson Saifuddin Abdullah has accused Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail of "twisting the facts" regarding the negotiations between PN and BN in forming the state government.

According to him, the negotiations between Wan Rosdy on behalf of BN and PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who represented PN happened in "three rounds".

"In the first round, the federal government was not yet formed. We had made it clear that we do not want to form the government with Pakatan Harapan in Pahang.

"The second round involved discussions on forming the state government with BN," Saifuddin (above) told reporters after attending a PN election campaign session in Padang Serai, Kedah, last night.

The third round, he said, was PN justifying getting the menteri besar post by virtue of having the highest number of seats in the state assembly (17), compared to BN's 16, and Harapan's eight.

"If Wan Rosdy is not comfortable with being a normal exco member, Tuan Ibrahim said that we can think of an alternative, where Wan Rosdy can be appointed a minister after being appointed senator if PN controlled the federal government," Saifuddin added.

This shows how much PN had tried to compromise with BN, as long as Harapan did not form the state government in Pahang, he noted.

Saifuddin was responding to Wan Rosdy's claim yesterday that BN-PN relations in Pahang soured due to the latter's attitude.

Wan Rosdy's comment came following Tuan Ibrahim's lamentation on Wednesday that Pahang BN took a hardline stance in negotiating with PN for the state government formation, by offering just one state executive councillor seat for the latter, despite PN having the largest number of seats there.

Saifuddin went on to accuse Wan Rosdy of being "arrogant".

"The real story is how Wan Rosdy was 'arrogant' in the last rounds of negotiations with Tuan Ibrahim, by stating that when BN gets the menteri besar post, Harapan will get two exco posts, while PN will get only one.

"How does it make sense for a coalition with 17 seats to get only one (exco) seat, while the one with eight seats, gets two?" he asked.

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