Kit Siang sounds alarm over Sarawak seats row
(The Malaysian Insider) – The DAP’s Lim Kit Siang urged his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition today to resolve its Sarawak seat allocation dispute urgently and not allow itself to be distracted by the sex video scandal.
The DAP parliamentary leader said PR must not let “the worst case of gutter politics” distract the opposition just 10 days before nomination for Sarawak state polls, which will take place next month.
Lim said he was “very disappointed” that discussions between DAP and PKR on Thursday had not only failed to resolve the seat allocation dispute, but even added one more to the five already in contention instead.
The Malaysian Insider understands that the six seats in question are Padungan, Batu Kawa, Senadin, Piasau, Balai Ringin and the newly added Dudong.
“It would be a great disaster if there should be multi-cornered contests involving the DAP and PKR in five or six constituencies in the Sarawak general elections, for it would gravely undermine public confidence in Pakatan Rakyat, not only in Sarawak, but in Malaysia,” Lim said in a statement today.
He stressed that it was necessary for the two parties to resolve overlapping claims over six seats without further delay to restore public confidence in PR, which he said had taken a beating over the last two weeks.
The DAP stalwart urged his party and PKR to approach negotiations with greater urgency to ensure a one-on-one fight with Barisan Nasional (BN) in “the most important state general election in the history of Sarawak and Malaysia”.
“Every day counts,” he warned.
DAP Sarawak has “full autonomy” to finalise seat allocations and the party’s national leadership is confident that Sarawak DAP leaders are committed to ensuring that PR secure a “major breakthrough” in the state elections, he added.
PKR admitted yesterday that opposition parties were deadlocked over seat allocations in Sarawak after talks between the party and DAP broke down on Thursday following the addition of Dudong.
