Amanah: Only the breakdown of seats decided

Any discussions beyond the number of seats already allocated to each Pakatan Harapan component party for the upcoming 14th general election can still go on until another formal announcement is made sometime next week.

In revealing this, Amanah national elections director Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli told a press conference at the party’s headquarters today that the federal opposition pact's main aim would be to ensure victory against BN.

"Whatever can still be discussed, discuss it. So long as we can win," Hatta said in response to repeated questions on details of the exact seats and candidates to be fielded by each Harapan component party.

Hatta, who had led the Amanah seat negotiations team, said that such discussions could consider possibilities of trading seats or on one component party's candidate contesting on another party's ticket.

However, he declined to confirm talk that such an arrangement was being negotiated between Amanah and DAP for the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat.

"In the context of such discussions, it is best to do it behind the scenes. Following that, (a decision) can be considered, based on the principle of it being mutually agreeable and beneficial," Hatta explained.

Harapan had, at its second national convention on Sunday, announced that Bersatu would contest in 52 Parliament constituencies in the peninsula, followed by PKR contesting in 51 seats, DAP in 35 and Amanah in 27 seats.

Referring to a supposed list of parliamentary seats to be contested by each Harapan party, which had been circulated earlier this week, Hatta said an official version would be announced by Harapan secretariat chief Saifuddin Abdullah.

"I view it (the list) as prediction and speculation, not necessarily true, not necessarily untrue.

"I was informed that an announcement would be made next week," he said.

Pressed for his comment on perceived unhappiness among Amanah's grassroots after being allocated the least number of seats, Hatta said their aim should be to ensure victory in all seats contested.

He also pointed out that a victory in all 27 seats allocated so far would have matched "their old party's" best record in 1999, alluding to PAS' performance at the parliamentary level in the 10th general election.

"If we win in all 27 seats, that is something respectable, compared to the old party.

The best that the old party could do was in the 1999 general election. That's the most number of (parliamentary) seats they won," he said.

'Respectable number of seats for Amanah'

Hatta also said that Amanah was still in discussions for up to eight parliamentary seats in Sabah and Sarawak.

"That (35 seats) is still respectable figure.

"And whatever number of seats are allocated to Amanah, we will make sure to deliver all or as many as possible so that Harapan can form a stronger federal government," he said in giving his assurance that Amanah's machinery would be mobilised to assist all Harapan candidates.

On seat negotiations at the state level, Hatta said Amanah was ready to contest the bulk of seats in at least one state, but that it would not make any demands on the matter.

"You said it yourself," Hatta said when asked whether the state he was referring to was Kelantan.- Mkini