DAP will be contesting 17 seats in the upcoming Johor election, said party secretary-general Anthony Loke.
The transport minister said this includes defending 10 seats the party won in the last state election, contesting the four seats it lost, and an additional three seats.
“Because of the final negotiation between PKR and Amanah, (seat allocations) will be finalised within the next one or two days.
“We will not announce the seats yet, but I can safely say that DAP will be contesting 17 seats,” he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
However, Pakatan Harapan secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail earlier today said that seat talks for the coalition had been settled.
The 56-seat Johor state assembly was dissolved on June 1 after Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim consented to it.
No working with BN in N Sembilan
When asked about the Negeri Sembilan election, Loke said DAP will defend all 11 of its seats in the state assembly.
Loke, who is the Seremban MP, also stressed that there will be no cooperation with BN in the state poll.
He said the party’s stance is clear: the move was a “tit for tat” retaliation over BN’s announcement that it will contest all seats solo in the Johor election.
Two weeks ago, Loke told a Harapan convention that Negeri Sembilan will dissolve its legislature if Johor does so.
Johor caretaker menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi had said the decision to contest solo was made after consultation with the Umno leadership, effectively ending talks that BN would cooperate with Harapan in the state election.
Harapan-BN pact unaffected at federal level
However, Loke today asserted that such decisions have not affected Harapan’s relationship with BN in the Madani federal government.
“As far as we are concerned, the relationship at this point in time is still a working relationship. We are still running the government together.
“Of course, we do not want to jeopardise the situation at the federal level,” he added.
Yesterday, BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his coalition is not closing the door on discussions over seat allocations with Harapan, despite the latter’s announcement that it would contest all 36 state seats in Negeri Sembilan.
In a late-night press conference on June 4, Negeri Sembilan caretaker menteri besar Aminuddin Harun announced the dissolution of the state assembly after receiving the consent of then state ruler Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
This came amid a royal crisis in the state involving its territorial chieftains (Undang Luak), leading to BN elected representatives withdrawing their support from Aminuddin.
However, an attempt to form a new BN-PN government failed, which resulted in the PKR vice-president heading a minority government until the legislature was dissolved.
Rafizi now blames DAP ‘for everything’
Meanwhile, Loke went on to express his disappointment in former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
When asked for a response to Rafizi's opinion that pressure from DAP led to the dissolution of the Negeri Sembilan state assembly, Loke dismissed it as “total nonsense”.
Loke stressed that an election could still have been triggered by assemblypersons voting against the state government’s budget in the October sitting.
“We do not want a situation where we are forced to have an election because we are defeated in the state assembly,” Loke said.
He added that the move stemmed not from him alone, but from an agreement between all Harapan component parties in the state.
“He (Rafizi) has a new syndrome - he also has the syndrome of blaming DAP for everything,” Loke said sarcastically.
Simultaneous polls
On Friday, during the latest episode of his "Yang Berhenti Menteri" podcast, Rafizi touched on Loke’s announcement that any move by BN to dissolve the Johor state assembly will be followed by a similar move by Harapan in Negeri Sembilan.
“Those who read between the lines will definitely conclude that this (the dissolution of Negeri Sembilan’s legislature) is DAP’s wish.
“My experience with DAP is that they feel - if possible - elections must be held simultaneously, because they know that whether they win or lose depends on voter turnout,” Rafizi said.
DAP has consistently stood firm on pushing for general and state elections to be held simultaneously, with Loke arguing in September last year that this would ensure better coordination in party preparations while reducing costs.
Loke told Malaysiakini in February that his position remains unchanged as rounds of separate elections would disrupt national administration and hinder the government’s ability to implement policies effectively. - Mkini
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