DAP and PKR will embark on a common agenda to capture the Penang government in the coming general election. But they will unveil separate election manifestos.

The two parties reached this consensus after their first round of negotiations on their electoral pact and cooperation in Penang last weekend.

State DAP secretary Danny Law Heng Kiang said since both parties have considered Penang as a 'frontline state', it was ideal to have a common agenda to challenge BN.

He explained that DAP will have a separate manifesto because the party is not part of the Barisan Alternatif, which comprises PKR and PAS.

"However, we cannot afford to campaign on different agendas," he said.

The main focus of their common agenda will be on the state's feeble economic growth over the past 10 years, the fall in foreign direct investment, poor health of small medium enterprises and rising industrial retrenchment and unemployment rate.

Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon's poor report card will feature as their main weapon to attack the state BN.

Although Koh holds the so-called powerful chief minister's post, it's common knowledge that local `Umnoputras' are the real power behind the throne.

Their common campaign will also touch on good governance, transparency, restoring local government elections, restoring George Town's city status and getting same status for Butterworth, democratically electing city mayors, creating city councils for cities and municipal councils for suburban areas in both island and mainland.

Other issues include poor public transportation, lack of major infrastructure projects and abandoned housing projects.

With a common agenda agreed upon, the two parties will next concentrate on the more delicate issue of seat allocation. Talks are expected within the next fortnight.

Amicable solution sought

Penang has 13 parliamentary and 40 state seats. In the 2004 general election, DAP contested seven federal and 20 state seats, PKR contested five parliamentary and 16 state seats and PAS in two federal and seven state seats.

DAP won four parliamentary and one state seats, PKR won only in Permatang Pauh through party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail while PAS won a single Permatang Pasir state seat.

This time, DAP plans to contest seven parliamentary and 21 state seats. Secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, his economic adviser Tony Pua, managing editor of The Rocket Ng Wei Aik, and former UKM professor P Ramasamy are widely tipped to contest seats in the state.

On other hand, PKR aims to preserve its 2004 tally.

Law assured that the days of splitting the opposition votes in Penang would be a thing of the past following the lesson learnt in 2004 in which DAP and PKR were defeated in the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat and state seats of Bagan Dalam, Bukit Tambun and Sungai Pinang due to three-cornered fights.

Penang PKR chairperson Zahrain Mohamad Hashim said both parties want straight contests against BN.

"It's only a minor problem that can be resolved easily," Zahrain told malaysiakini.

Both parties are aware that they must trash out the issue and reach an amicable solution sooner than later.