PKR: 80-90% seats finalised

PKR has confirmed 80-90 percent of the total number of seats that it is considering to contest come March 8 when the 12 ^th general election is held, said its information chief Tian Chua.

"Most of the seats have been settled. There are (only) small adjustments here and there (to be made)", he told a press conference at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

Of those seats that overlap with opposition allies DAP and PAS, nearly all have been resolved, thus allowing "99.9 percent" of the contests involving opposition parties to be straight fights against Barisan Nasional candidates.

Although he does not have the most recent figures in hand, Tian said the opposition parties have generally agreed in principle that "no one party would take more than half" of the 222 parliamentary seats.

The 505 state assembly seats, meanwhile, would be apportioned according to the strength of the respective parties in question, he added.

"We are ensuring that if any of the states or Parliament falls into the hands of the opposition, there will be a coalition so that not one party will dominate," said Tian.

"If any one of us win government, we will have to put our seats together in order to rule. That can allay fears that we will be an Islamic state (under PAS), that there will be a DAP prime minister or that Keadilan (PKR) on its own will bulldoze (over) everyone," he added.

"It is a partnership based on mutual support and mutual respect for each other," said Tian.

"Grand national unity government," suggested Tian with a laugh when asked what the opposition coalition would call itself should it win.

Tian did not elaborate as to which seats exactly PKR will contest, or where he himself would run as a candidate.

"I will leave it to my leaders to announce my seat," he added

Best candidates

While PAS has generally contested in bumiputera majority constituencies which DAP has left alone, DAP’s insistence on contesting Chinese-majority seats have forced Chinese PKR leaders to contest in mixed racial composition seats, which are usually BN stronghold seats.

The issue, particularly over seat allocation in Perak’s Kinta Valley, had led to a near deadlock following PKR and DAP’s failure to reach a consensus.

To a suggestion that the opposition parties were in trouble in view of the fact that the issue of seat allocation still had not been finalised despite the dissolution of Parliament yesterday, Tian said the matter need not be understood that way.

He said even the BN coalition has not finalised which of its state menteri besars and cabinet ministers would be retained to contest in which state and parliamentary seats and who would be dropped or proposed.

He also described the negotiations between the opposition parties as "part of democracy" and indicative of the "healthy discussions" that are necessary towards coming up with the best candidates to present to the electorate.

"We will always debate the best candidates for the election. Every party thinks it offers the best candidate, so in that sense, we will have intense discussions," said Tian.

While PKR has resolved seat allocations with PAS and is in the midst of finalising discussions with DAP, the opposition parties have agreed to support each other during the election campaign period just as they have done so in the past two elections.

"We are quite familiar with it (this arrangement) and we are getting better and more professional," said Tian.

Anwar’s future

On the possibility of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim contesting in a by-election once the ban against his entry into formal politics expires on April 15, Tian said this would be discussed after the general election.

Anwar is barred by law from contesting in elections up to that date following his conviction and six-year jail sentence for corrupt practice.

Anwar has said that one of at least 20 PKR candidates would stand down if they won a seat so that a by-election could be held for him to enter Parliament when he is eligible.

"The scenario after the elections cannot be anticipated," said Tian, adding that "if we (win) a two-thirds majority, we’ll pardon him."

He also criticised the government for allegedly scheduling the polls so as to deny Anwar the chance to contest in the general election.

"You cannot just stop people (from running) by shifting around the dates. If anyone is determined to fight, no pressure or power can deter him from fighting against this corrupted system," said Tian.

Earlier in the press conference, PKR presented a general outline of its yet-to-be finalised election manifesto which will serve as the basis of its campaign.

The ‘skeletal’ version centres on the need to control inflation, for social justice for the minority communities and marginalised groups, for an independent judiciary and to reduce crime.

The party also highlighted the development of its free inter-active ‘Fonecode’ mobile phone software that would enable users to download PKR’s latest video and audio messages, including the speeches of party leaders and announcements.