Leave seat allocation announcements to Pakatan leadership, S’wak DAP secretary tells allies

Alan Ling

MIRI: Sarawak DAP secretary Alan Ling has urged his colleagues in Pakatan Harapan (PH) not to make remarks on seat allocation for the next Sarawak election and to leave it to the coalition’s leadership to make announcements on the matter.

He said only the Sarawak PH Sarawak leadership has the authority to make an official statement on the matter, though it is a known fact that certain seats are considered “traditional seats” of certain parties.

He added that the seat negotiations were still ongoing and that no one should attempt to speak and announce any such decision on behalf of PH Sarawak unless an official statement was issued on the matter.

“I would appreciate everyone in the coalition to exercise self-restraint and be patient, this is also to show respect to party leadership and that of PH Sarawak, so that any open discussion or speculations shall not be generated from the grassroots to avoid confusion and unnecessary tensions affecting the unity and relationship of the PH Sarawak component parties,” he said.

He added: “As it stands now, so long as we enter the battlefield of the upcoming state election as a coalition (PH Sarawak), we shall strive for a one candidate (for each seat) based on PH Sarawak’s principle.”

Ling was contacted today for his comment on a Facebook post by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Baram chairman Roland Engan, who said he had been informed that there would be no overlapping claim by PH parties for the Mulu seat in the state election.

PKR and DAP had both staked their claim on Mulu in the 2016 state election, resulting in a four cornered fight which was ultimately won by the then Barisan Nasional candidate, Gerawat Gala.

The two parties had also clashed in five other seats – Murum, Ngemah, Simanggang, Mambong and Batu Kitang.

PH is made up of DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara. Only DAP, with its six assemblymen, is currently represented in the 82-seat State Legislative Assembly.

The state election is due in July next year.

Ling added that what is important for the coalition now is that they need to work together in unity and accept any final decision to be made by the top leadership, especially on seat allocations.

“We must work together as one united front and to give undivided support to the component party assigned to a particular seat and to the candidate picked for the seat,” he said.

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