PKR or DAP can be kicked out of Harapan for seat fiasco

PKR or DAP can be kicked out from Pakatan Harapan for violating the fledgling pact's common agreement by contesting against each other in Sarawak.

The common agreement signed by all three Harapan parties in January explicitly said that while parties are free to choose their candidates, the distribution of seats will be decided by a election committee.

All decisions must also be approved by the presidential council.

"Harapan will only field one candidate to represent the pact in any election,” DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke had said at the signing ceremony in Shah Alam, saying this would put an end to three-cornered fights.

Amanah organising secretary Suhaizan Kaiat said if any party is found to have breached the agreement, the other parties in Harapan have a right to kick the other party out of the coalition.

This was part of their move to stop agreeing to disagree, which had led to Harapan's predecessor Pakatan Rakyat's demise.

PKR today broke the agreement of seat allocations in Sarawak by contesting against DAP in Mambong, Ngemah, Simanggang and Murum.

The move was authorised by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

DAP retaliated by fielding a candidate against PKR in Batu Kitang.

Despite breaking the agreement, analyst Wong Chin Huat, however, does not believe it's a deadly blow for the opposition pact.

"It doesn't give Harapan a good image as it shows that in their first election they're not well organised.

"However, I don't think its a deadly blow. At the end of the day, the parties need each other to survive so I don't think they'll go all out," Wong told Malaysiakini.

He believes PKR and DAP may also still be able to sort things out and get some of the clashing candidates to back out. -Mkini