PKR chided for ‘saying things that can hurt PH’
When PKR (Sarawak) information chief Abun Sui claimed that he does not know of the agreement because he was not present, so was I (not present).
Alan Ling
MIRI: The Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak has chided its Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition partner Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak for issuing groundless statements that could break the trust between allies.
DAP Sarawak secretary Alan Ling pointed out leaders of state PH parties, including Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), had signed an agreement on Jan 2, 2021 in the presence of party representatives as well as the media.
“When PKR (Sarawak) information chief Abun Sui claimed that he did not know of the agreement because he was not present, so was I (not present).
“Instead, they keep making statements through the media, totally ignoring the trust and respect between us, which I strongly feel will hurt the PH more,” he said after purchasing nomination forms at the old Miri City Council yesterday.
Abun had recently been reported as saying that PKR Sarawak was not bound by the agreement with DAP leaders, which was signed by former chief Larry Sng who had since left the party.
As such, Abun said the PH coalition partners could actually clash in Senadin, Pujut, Piasau, and Kemena, but hoped negotiations would succeed in stopping this.
On the seat negotiations as claimed by PKR Sarawak, Ling insisted that everything had already been confirmed with DAP to contest in Piasau, Pujut, and Senadin.
He said only the three out of 12 seats in northern Sarawak had been allocated to DAP, while Bekenu, Lambir, Marudi, Telang Usan, Mulu, Bukit Kota, Batu Danau, Ba Kelalan, and Bukit Sari are to be contested by PKR.
“For them to keep requesting additional seats from two to three to four seats, it shows that they are not honouring the agreement,” Ling lamented.
He pointed out the 12th state election is already a difficult and challenging battle because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so any issues or disagreements within PH should be discussed peacefully and internally.
“We have only six days to nomination day; we should be focusing on preparations leading up to nomination and campaign days, preparing the materials. We also have to take into account the areas further from the city to distribute the campaign materials. This requires a lot of energy and attention.
“To keep arguing about this (seat allocation) issue until the very last minute will benefit no one. In fact, this will cause mixed reactions among voters,” added Ling.
He said it is a crucial time and PH allies need to project a united front to maintain balance in the political landscape.
“We are together not only for this 12th state election, but also aiming for a return in power in Putrajaya in the next 15th general election,” he stressed.