Allies cold to Selangor PAS’s seat-sharing proposal
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysia Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties are not keen on the state PAS’s idea for the allies to be represented in each federal seat in Selangor in the next general election in an effort to make the pact an unified front.
The Malaysian Insider understands this is made difficult as those allies — PKR and DAP — want to retain all seats won in 2008, leaving little room for swaps. PR dominated Selangor in the last general election, winning 17 of 22 parliamentary seats and 30 of 56 seats in the state assembly.
Selangor PAS deputy chief Khalid Samad confirmed that he proposed for each parliamentary constituency in Malaysia’s richest state to have candidates from other parties contesting state seats, during a seat negotiation meeting last week.
“The idea is that if PAS is contesting the parliament seat, then DAP and PKR will each have a state seat in the constituency. This will help us work as and appear more of a coalition than three disparate parties,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
The Shah Alam MP also said that although the idea was only brought up in Selangor, it may be implemented in other states, especially those where the federal opposition were on the losing end.
PR leaders had come to a consensus after a joint retreat earlier this month to project itself as a cohesive coalition and a proper alternative to Barisan Nasional (BN) after repeated feuds within the pact since it made record gains in 2008 and formed five state governments.
The move came after controversy surrounding the PAS-led Kedah government’s decision to ban entertainment outlets from operating during the fasting month from August 1 to 30.
Under pressure from its PR partner DAP as well as the MCA and Gerakan to revoke the ban, Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak chose instead to set operational conditions to limit the ban to Muslims.
