MUKHRIZ CALMS DOWN EMOTIONAL BERSATU MEMBERS WHO NEARLY RIOTED AT AZIZAH’S SPEECH, UPSET AT ‘UNFAIR’ DISTRIBUTION OF NEGRI SEMBILAN STATE SEATS

SEREMBAN 28 JANUARI 2018.Ketua Pemuda Parti Pribumi Bersatu Negeri, Mohd Shahrul Abu Samah (tengah) pada sidang media selepas membuat bantahan tidak berpuas hati dalam pembahagian kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri PRU 14 Negeri Sembilan pada majlis konvensyen Pakatan Harapan Negeri Sembilan kali 2 di Wisma City Kingdom, Seremban. NSTP/HAZREEN MOHAMAD

SEREMBAN – The Negri Sembilan Pakatan Harapan Convention here today descended into chaos after some 40 Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) members objected to the pact’s seat distribution in the state for the 14th General Election (GE14).

They started protesting while Pakatan Harapan president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is also PKR president, was finishing her speech.

Prior to her speech, PH secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah had announced that of the 36 state seats in Negri Sembilan, 12 would be contested by PKR, DAP (11), Parti Amanah Negara (seven) and PPBM (six).

PPBM deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Dr Mahathir had to come down from the stage to calm them down.

Because of the chaos, the convention which was scheduled to end at 3pm was adjourned immediately.

Jempol PPBM division head Amiruddin Aman who led the protest said the distribution was grossly unfair.

“We are not satisfied because the seats given to us are “black” areas (difficult to win). We were targetting 12 seats and would have been okay even if it was just 10 … this is very disappointing,” he told reporters afterwards.

Meanwhile, Wan Azizah at a press conference later said surveys had shown Pakatan Harapan had a bright chance of wresting Negri Sembilan, but after what happened today she was no longer sure about this.

In Kuantan, Pahang PKR chairman Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman said incumbent Fuziah Salleh would be defending the Kuantan parliamentary seat, while the party would also be fielding a woman candidate for the Rompin (parliamentary) seat.

Fauzi, who is also Pahang Pakatan Harapan chairman, said PKR would also be contesting the Bera and Indera Makhota parliamentary seats and it was likely that he would be standing in the latter.

He said that Amanah has asked for the Temerloh seat and that the pact had agreed to it.

He added that distribution of state seats had yet to be finalised.

— Bernama