SNAP to ‘sink and swim’ with Pakatan
SNAP, unhappy with the three seats allocated to it by PKR, seeks to renegotiate terms with other Pakatan Rakyat members.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Sarawak National Party (SNAP) has pledged to “sink and swim” with Pakatan Rakyat even though the seat claims between itself and PKR are yet to be resolved.
SNAP claims it wants to contest in 28 Dayak majority seats, while PKR eyes 52 seats.
“We will solve the over-lapping of claims in the next two weeks. It is not a big problem,” SNAP secretary-general Edmund Stanley Jugol said after the Pakatan meeting yesterday.
The meeting was chaired by Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng.
Said Jugol: “SNAP subscribes to the common goal of Pakatan, that is, to unseat the Barisan Nasional (BN) government and to do that we must have full cooperation among ourselves.
“Arising out from today’s discussions, we see there is no problem for the Pakatan parties working together. We have two more weeks to sort this overlapping of seat claims, which is not a big problem if everybody adopts the attitude of give and take,” he said.
On the threat by SNAP president Edwin Dundang on Saturday to pull out of Pakatan, Jugol said that Dundang’s answer was in response to a blog which quoted a PKR leader as saying that SNAP was only eligible to contest three seats in the coming election.
“There is no difference of opinion between Dundang and I. I have been given the mandate to attend this meeting and discuss and sort out the issue of overlapping seat claims,” he said.
Ready to bell BN
Earlier, Wong described their meeting, the first this year, as fruitful and constructive.
“We expressed our concern over recent reports about squabbling or bickering among Pakatan parties. And we have come to the conclusion that there is no squabble or bickering among us.
“The BN leaders, particularly Alfred Jabu (Deputy Chief Minister and Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu deputy president) should not be overly happy that DAP, PKR, PAS and SNAP are entangled in internal squabbles.
“We are not. The most important thing is that we are all ready for the bell to ring for the state election.
“We have now agreed to sort out our overlapping claims through negotiations within two weeks.
“DAP does not have any overlapping claim with SNAP or PAS. The overlapping of claims is between SNAP and PKR, or between PKR and PAS so let then discuss among themselves,” he added.
Wong said that the most important thing was that whichever party can win the seat for Pakatan should be allowed to field its candidate to ensure one-to-one fight against the BN.
He added that the Pakatan’s joint manifesto has been drafted by him and Baru Bian (Sarawak PKR chief) and was ready to be forwarded to Pakatan council for vetting and approval.
