Loke says Lim’s accusation about Azmin based on facts

DAP stands by its claim that Azmin Ali of PKR backtracked on a previous agreement on seat allocation in the Sarawak polls despite Nurul Izzah insisting otherwise.

PETALING JAYA: DAP is standing by its claim that PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali had indeed reneged on an agreement over seat allocations for the Sarawak election this month.

In a brief statement, the party’s National Organising Secretary, Anthony Loke said Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng’s claim that PKR’s number two had backtracked on the agreement was based on “facts and written evidence.”

“Lim’s statement is based on documents that both Lim and Azmin had signed on April 7 as well as notes detailing the communication between the duo up until the eve of nomination day,” Loke said, alluding to May 25.

The Seremban lawmaker revealed this after PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar insisted yesterday that Azmin did not renege on the agreement on seats negotiations in Sarawak.

According to The Star, Nurul, who is MP for Lembah Pantai, said that the top party leadership had acted according to the terms of the agreement. She also labelled as “inaccurate”, an article in a news portal that reported Lim as claiming he and Azmin had singed an agreement on April 7 before the latter reneged.

Loke however argued this was not the time to discuss the squabbles of the two Opposition parties and that he would raise the controversial matter of seat allocations at the next Pakatan Harapan supreme council meeting, to be held after the May 7 Sarawak election.

PKR and DAP have been at loggerheads with each other after both parties refused to back down and are now contesting the same seats in six constituencies, thereby resulting in split votes for the Opposition. The two parties were supposed to engage in straight fights against their common enemy, Barisan Nasional.

Both parties have also engaged in a war of words, blaming each other over the debacle.