Harapan to form committee to engage with Muda

 

Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) will set up a committee to hold negotiations and evaluate the position of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), which intends to join the coalition.

Harapan vice-chairperson Salahuddin Ayub (above) said the negotiations were part of engagement steps with Muda, in addition to clarifying the parameters that should be communicated to parties that intend to join the coalition.

“Yesterday, the chairperson (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) made it clear that we will form a committee to engage with Muda.

“There are steps to follow...Harapan is open, we can accept all applications (to join), but some steps must be taken first,” he told reporters after attending the Amanah Women wing convention today.

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was previously reported to have said that his party agreed to join Harapan as one of its component parties for the 15th general election (GE15).

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman

Hence, he was open to holding official discussions with the Harapan presidential council regarding the matter.

In the meantime, Salahuddin said 70 percent of the 52 seats contested by Bersatu in the last general election had been negotiated between Harapan coalition parties, and the process was expected to be completed before Sept 30.

Salahuddin, who is also Amanah deputy president, said the party will resolve the issue of candidates who will contest in GE15 by mid-October, at the latest.

Currently, 70 percent have been decided, taking into account certain criteria including involvement in the party, commitment and qualifications.

More women candidates

“Regarding female candidates, I mentioned before that Amanah is targeting 40 to 45 seats for GE15, taking into account our strength.

“Women and Youth wings still have seats but the number has not been announced as we are still in the process of evaluating the candidates,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amanah Women chief Aiman Athirah Sabu hoped that the seats for female candidates should be in strategic areas and have the potential to win, taking into account their qualifications and experience.

Earlier, Aiman in her speech urged the government to review the punishment for corruption offences with a stricter minimum sentence as a preventive measure.

Amanah National Convention 2022 starts today until Sunday.

- Bernama