STILL unable to reach a consensus, Selangor Pakatan Harapan will resume seat negotiations after the Chinese New Year, said PKR’s Dr Xavier Jayakumar today.

Jayakumar, who chairs the state PH’s seat negotiations committee, said there were between 15 and 20 state seats that had yet to be finalised, and committee members would discuss outstanding matters with their respective parties before continuing talks in about two weeks’ time.

“There was no decision today.

“The four have discussed seats for the next general election, and have achieved some understanding.

“The goal is to retain Selangor, and all parties are united on this. We will continue discussions after the Chinese New Year festival.

“In the meantime, each component will consult their respective parties on the seats, and after that, we will have a decision,” he told reporters after the committee’s second meeting in Shah Alam.

The original deadline for the state PH to decide which seats its four parties would contest for Selangor’s 56-member legislative assembly had been January 31.

This was later pushed to February 7.

Thirty-five seats were settled in the committee’s meeting last week, said DAP deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo.

This, however, was disputed by Bersatu information chief Sallehudin Amiruddin.

The protracted talks in Selangor have plagued the opposition pact, as its older member parties, PKR and DAP, work to accommodate the newer Bersatu and Amanah.

Gobind said the meeting today was cordial, with better understanding achieved between the four components.

“We were able to move forward today. We’re happy with today’s meeting,” he said, but declined to reveal more.

The Puchong MP said DAP had sat out of bilateral and trilateral talks held by other PH parties to discuss seats with overlapping claims by PKR, DAP and Amanah in Malay-majority areas.

“It is not accurate to say we did not participate in the talks.

“We did not attend the talks because they were bilateral or trilateral talks to resolve matters between those two or three parties.

“This is normal practice when negotiating seats at all levels. After that, the four parties will sit down and resolve everything.”

Bersatu has been eyeing seats allocated for PKR, while Amanah is jostling with PKR and Bersatu to stand in PAS-controlled seats.

In the 2013 general election, PKR, DAP and PAS, as allies under the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat, won 44 out of the 56 state seats in Selangor.

DAP won all 15 it contested, PAS won only 15 out of the 21 seats it contested and PKR won 14 out of 21 seats. – February 12, 2018.