PAKATAN Harapan (PH) is expected to finalise seat negotiations for the upcoming Johor elections before the Chinese New Year, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said.

He said PH is still negotiating seat distribution as it is waiting for replies from other opposition parties on their readiness to cooperate with the coalition in Johor to defeat Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Right now we are still negotiating with the parties on seat distribution.

“It is being discussed intensively so that we can finalise it before Chinese New Year,” he told reporters at an Amanah forum in Padang Negara, Terengganu. 

The Kota Raja MP, however, declined to comment further on whether other opposition parties have agreed to work with the pact.

He said that is still under negotiation and will be known at the PH meeting in the days ahead.

Meanwhile, Johor PKR deputy chief Jimmy Puah and Johor DAP deputy chief Teo Nie Ching confirmed that PH is set to meet with Muda on Sunday.

Puah said the meeting was set for 3pm on Sunday, and the deputy chiefs of the three PH component parties will lead in their respective seat negotiation teams.

“We don’t know how many seats Muda wants to contest and where the seats are yet. The consideration and decision will only be made after we get the information,” he was quoted as saying by news portal Malaysiakini.

Under the current arrangement, PKR and Amanah will contest 20 seats each, while DAP will take 16 seats.

Earlier this week, PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim said the pact will rope in all the opposition parties, including Pejuang, Warisan and Muda, to contest all 56 state seats in the Johor polls.

He said this was to ensure that Umno and BN would be defeated in the next general election, starting with the Johor polls.

However, sources told The Malaysian Insight that Warisan and Pejuang will not join PH’s “big tent” in the Johor elections.

Sources say the two parties are not keen on sharing seats.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said PH also discussed the possibility of working with Bersatu in Johor.

The situation is, however, complicated due to Bersatu chairman Muhyiddin Yassin’s responsibility in overthrowing the PH government in 2020.

Commenting on the use of the PH logo in the state elections, Mohamad dismissed fears that this may cause PH to suffer losses in the state elections.

He said if PH loses in Johor, it will be due to Covid-19 standard operating procedure that bans all campaigning like in Malacca and Sarawak. – January 29, 2022.