PKR sec-gen explains predicament over talks with PAS

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed that a letter came from jailed PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, urging the party to keep the door open to PAS.

However, Saifuddin noted, all the Pakatan Harapan parties, including PKR, were tied to certain realities with regard to electoral seat negotiations.

"While Anwar may urge for negotiations with PAS, the reality is Harapan has made a decision and PKR is tied to Harapan's decision.

"Anwar has made this call for two years and negotiations were conducted by a number of PKR leaders (with PAS), but it never reached the seat negotiations stage.

"Instead, PAS leaders announced they will contest more than 100 parliamentary seats including (PKR seats) in Gombak, Permatang Pauh and Lembah Pantai," Saifuddin told Malaysiakini.

Furthermore, he said, PAS had imposed several conditions even before it is willing to engage in talks with PKR.

"(PKR) leaders negotiating with PAS informed that PAS had imposed conditions such as PAS seats must be left alone, that PKR cannot campaign in Kelantan and other conditions as prerequisites to engage in talks with PKR," he said.

PAS seats divided among Harapan parties

With this backdrop, Saifuddin said, Harapan had proceeded with seat negotiations, dividing up PAS seats among the four component parties within the coalition.

"In this process, all PAS seats were claimed by the component parties. Some seats are still facing overlapping claims by member parties, while others are not.

"The overlapping seats are being resolved through bilaterally or trilaterally. This move is consistent with the Harapan presidential council's decision to no longer have dealings with PAS.

"It is difficult for PKR to negotiate with PAS on seat distribution as the ongoing process only involves parties within Harapan," said Saifuddin, who is part of the seat negotiations.

To date, he said, Harapan had concluded the first round of negotiations for parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia and the respective parties have marked the seats they are claiming.

"When the negotiations on parliamentary seats with overlapping claims are resolved, PKR and Harapan parties will proceed to state seats. Seats contested by PAS will also be divided (among the Harapan parties)," he said.

Saifuddin said the message he wanted to convey was that, despite the calls to negotiate with PAS, leaders representing PKR in seat negotiations in Harapan have to proceed without considering the "PAS factor".

"Time is running out, the realistic move is to work within the framework of Harapan," he said.

Saifuddin said PKR is committed towards the Harapan framework and its decisions on seat negotiations among the component parties.

PKR has, in recent weeks, seen fissures come to fore as leaders in favour of further negotiations with PAS and those against such a move clashed.

Amid the quarrel, the Harapan presidential council, of which PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is part of, declared that it will not work with PAS.

However, in a letter to the Harapan leadership sent last Saturday, Anwar called for the door to be kept open to PAS.

He also noted concerns that negotiations with PAS could hamper Harapan's electoral preparation, which he said all the more meant that PKR needed to stand united and move swiftly. - Mkini