STATE seat allocations in Pakatan Harapan-controlled states Selangor and Penang seem to be held up by component party PKR.

In Selangor, only PKR is insisting that formal negotiations have started while DAP, Amanah and Bersatu have said a proper committee has not even been set up to discuss seat negotiations.

In Penang, it is learnt that PKR is looking for a bigger share of the seats, which may even include seats already held by DAP.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar acknowledged that there were two versions of the story about what was happening in Selangor.

She, however, was convinced that Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali, who heads the state’s seats negotiation as state PH chief, would address the issue in a more formal manner next week.

“The deadline is useful, but as a basic principle. At the end, all parties will need to be a bit more flexible.

“These things must be done in an organic manner. We have been successful in sorting out the federal seats. For the rest, we have to allow the process, as long as we don’t take too long.

“I don’t think we should be so rigid. It also involves handling emotions. People don’t support us for money, and those on the ground have worked hard for the struggle,” she said after speaking at a student motivation programme in Bandar Perda, Penang yesterday.

The deadline for state PH committees to settle their seat talks is January 31. For those that fail, the seat allocation will be decided by the central leadership.

Nurul Izzah said all political coalitions faced seat allocation issues, but indicated that distributing the seats in Selangor was different this time, with former ally PAS now out of the coalition “by choice of wanting to supplant and strengthen Prime Minister Najib Razak and his government”.

PAS, which broke ties with DAP and PKR in 2015 and 2017, ending the old Pakatan Rakyat coalition, is expected to create three-cornered fights in various seats nationwide, especially Malay-majority constituencies. Analysts have predicted that this will benefit BN.

It was reported that one of the reasons for the delay in the seat negotiations was PKR’s attempt to get PAS on board. It was also said that there were concerns PH would fail to defend the state without the Islamist party’s help.

“Everyone is targeting marginal seats and presenting their arguments. It is normal. It is dynamic politics…it is a process,” Nurul Izzah said.

“We have to also remind everyone that this is make or break. It is painful for us as well. We have been around for many years, suffering as many others.

“In the end, we have to prioritise the rakyat. They are waiting for a clear cut offering by PH for the coming polls,” she said.

Nurul Izzah admitted that it could have been better managed, but PH also wanted the people to understand that the coalition was trying to do what was best.

“The process will gain more support if we don’t treat the people as mere listeners but as stakeholders in our effort to take the federal government,” she said.

PKR and PAS each hold 13 seats in the 56-seat Selangor legislative assembly. DAP holds 14 and Amanah, two. BN has 12 while the remaining two seats are held by independents.

Penang seat talks in trouble?

Meanwhile, up north in Penang, where DAP heads the coalition, a PKR leader told The Malaysian Insight that talks are also “deadlocked” because DAP has refused to concede some of its seats.

Because of that, state PKR information Chief Dr Afif Bahardin said his party would not concede as well.

“If PKR is to give up seats, we want DAP to do the same in order to accommodate Bersatu and Amanah. If DAP doesn’t, PKR wants all of its 16 seats.

“This (conceding) will be good for the PH spirit. It will help the two other parties (Bersatu and Amanah),” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Dr Afif, who is also PKR Youth national deputy chief, said if the seats could not be settled at state level, the matter would be left to the higher-ups in the national committee.

“The equilibrium has changed since PR. We have four component parties now in PH, not three,” the Penang health exco said.

Penang has 40 state seats. In the last polls, DAP contested 19 state seats, and won all. PKR contested 16 state seats but only won 10.

PAS contested six seats, including one that created a three-corner fight with PKR and BN. The Islamist party won only one, Permatang Pasir, which PH would leave to Amanah to contest. BN, through its lynchpin party Umno, took 10 seats.

All of DAP’s seats are Chinese-majority and mixed seats, while PKR’s are Malay-majority and mixed seats. If DAP concedes, its seats would most likely go to PKR, instead of the Malay-based Bersatu and Amanah. Malay seats PKR does not contest will go to the Bersatu and Amanah.

The Malaysian Insight had previously reported that the few Malay seats in Penang were up for grabs among PKR, Bersatu and Amanah.

A Penang Bersatu insider said his party and PAS splinter party Amanah had agreed they would take on the 10 BN-held seats. 

“All of us in Penang PH had also agreed from Day 1 that all seats won in the 2013 general elections are not up for negotiations. DAP keeps its 19 and PKR its 10 seats while Amanah takes the sole PAS seat.

“That was agreed unanimously. There is no business about conceding seats won. I cannot confirm whether PKR is really looking at that direction,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The Bersatu man said it would be unlikely for DAP to give up its incumbent seats, but was confident the division of seats would be settled. 

Nurul Izzah also agreed that incumbent seats were not open to negotiations, unless the seats to be transferred were of equal strength for both parties.

“No way, Jose,” she said when asked in general if PH had a policy where component parties conceded their previously won seats to an ally.

“It has to be seats of equal strength and agreeable to both parties…you have to respect that seats belong to the parties that won them.

“There can be many variations but in the end it is all negotiations and diplomacy at work,” said Nurul Izzah.

Meanwhile, Penang PH secretary Wong Hon Wai from DAP said the state coalition had its own timetable to settle seat negotiations.

“We will announce in due course,” he said, without elaborating about the progress of the seat talks. – January 28, 2017.