Pakatan admits disadvantage but prepared for polls

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KEPALA BATAS: The Pakatan Rakyat national leadership conceded today that its rival Barisan Nasional has the upper hand should snap polls be held any time soon but claimed it was prepared nevertheless.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said they were very much aware of the possibility that early elections was in the pipeline.

This, he said, was a sinister attempt by Barisan Nasional to throw the fledgling pact, inferior next to the ruling coalition's financial might, off balance by keeping them guessing on the election date.

"There will be no level playing field," he told a press conference after delivering his opening speech at Pakatan's second national convention here.

The power to call for election lies solely in the hand of the prime minister. Although the King's consent must first be attained, this procedure is merely a formality, a "cosmetic" exercise as described by observers.

This was criticised by Hadi who said that the process was undemocratic and gave the ruling coalition a more favourable position.

Barisan Nasional's control over the mainstream media will also reinforce their advantageous position, he said, adding that he expected negative reporting on the convention on the part of the mainstream media.

"The (mainstream) media will not report fairly on us. We plead that they do so on this convention which is held for the good of the voters," he said.

Pakatan will not dissolve state assemblies?

Speculation is rife that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will be holding early elections somewhere in the first quarter of next year. There's also the popular assumption that Najib will only call for a Parliamentary and not state elections.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, however, said that Pakatan is here to stay regardless of the attempts by their rival to oust them from the four states within their control.

"It will not succeed in pitting us against each other. We will be united in facing BN in the coming elections," he said at the same press conference.

Earlier this morning, all Pakatan leaders in their opening speeches for the convention pleaded for unity in light of impending snap polls and that it must strive to deflect attempts to drive a wedge between the component parties.

Several Pakatan leaders said they will not discount the possibility of countering BN's move by refusing to dissolve their respective state assemblies.

Constitutionally this is possible, they claimed. The term for the state assemblies for four states under Pakatan rule-Kelantan, Penang, Selangor and Kedah will not expire until mid 2013.

Lim, commenting on this, said while the idea was there, they will only meet to discuss on this possibility once Najib announced the election date.