Despite an angry rebuke from DAP yesterday following a failed negotiation with deputy PKR president Azmin Ali, lawyer Baru Bian is confident that all will be well.
KUCHING: Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian has denied that negotiations over overlapping seats with DAP had collapsed.
Voicing his “one hundred percent confidence”, he said negotiation between PKR and DAP would be resolved amicably.
“It will be resolved in two or three days. In fact, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim will arrive on March 29 to announce our list of candidates,” Bian told reporters here.
Bian was clarifying reports that negotiation between PKR and DAP had broken down.
“I am very optimistic that it will be resolved in a few days’ time. That was the assurance given to me by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.
“Azmin informed me that negotiations are still on-going.
“We do not want to give the impression that just because of two or three seats, DAP and PKR are not going to work together,” he said, denying rumours that things had soured between the two parties.
Bian said the over-lapping claim involved “only a few seats” and was not serious enough for PKR and DAP not to work together.
“This whole process of negotiation is common. We made a very strong stand. DAP also made a very strong stand.
“But at the end of the day, assuming that we cannot agree on one or two seats, we cannot make that be the ground to say we cannot work together.
“Because deep in our hearts, it is the desire of us all that we work together.
“We hear the sentiments and the desires of the people in Sarawak to see that we unite together against the Barisan Nasional (BN).
“That is the desire of the people and they want us to work together,” the PKR chief said.
No response
Bian said that as far as he was concerned, they have completed negotiation at the state level and it was now up to the national level where Anwar and (DAP veteran) Lim Kit Siang will come in.
“Leave it to the wisdom of our leaders,” he added.
On Sarawak National Party (SNAP), he said that efforts have been made to contact SNAP leaders, but they have not responded.
“We will continue to purse negotiation with them,” he said.
Earlier at a separate press conference, Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng said that on the onset, Pakatan Rakyat had worked on the premise that the party with the best chance of winning should contest a particular seat.
“On that premise, DAP has resolved to contest 18 seats only. We conceded two seats to PKR after two rounds of negotiations last year with a view to finalising seat allocation yesterday.
“We were willing to let PKR have Padungan and Senadin although it is generally accepted that DAP has the best chance to win in its heartland Padungan.
“However, PKR wanted to also claim the right to contest in Batu Kawa, Balai Ringin, Dudong and Piasau.
“PKR works on the presumption that it has a better chance of winning than DAP, but statistics are against PKR,” said Wong.
“The PKR negotiation team relies on feedback from members in the state, many of whom want to contest for the sake of contesting.
“Presumption will always result in misjudgment.
“We negotiate based on sincerity and honesty and according to reality supported by facts.
“We do not participate in election on presumptions. Let the statistics do the talking – PKR candidates had fought three-cornered fights with DAP before and they lost their deposits, ” he said.
Not acceptable
Wong said that with Padungan and Senadin conceded to PKR, the DAP, which was the strongest opposition party in Sarawak, now has only 15 seats to contest.
“Yet PKR wants three other Chinese seats.
“That is not acceptable. Time is running out and PKR may well play into the hands of the BN by insisting on playing big brother against DAP and SNAP when equality of partnership ought to have been the key, ” Wong said.
He said the ball was now in PKR’s court as to whether it wants want three-cornered contests which will benefit BN.
“It is up to PKR to realise that its political enemy is BN, not Sarawak DAP.
“However, the door is still open for negotiation,” he said, adding that the state committee had finalised all 18 candidates last night. - FMT
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