Johor polls: Pakatan will give up seats to Muda if talks go well, says Puah

KULAI: Pakatan Harapan will give up some seats to accommodate the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) in the coming Johor state election if talks between them go well, says Johor PKR deputy chairman Jimmy Puah.

He revealed that Pakatan, of which PKR is a member, will have a final meeting with Muda, which is making its electoral debut, before the Election Commission (EC) announces the nomination and polling dates on Feb 9.

The Opposition coalition, he said, had met with Muda last week before the Chinese New Year holidays, adding that the meeting was attended by state Muda chief Mohd Azrol Ab Rahani and the party's secretary-general Amira Aisya Abd Aziz.

"There will be another meeting before Feb 9 to finalise the seat allocation," Puah told reporters on Friday (Feb 4).

"If the talks are successful, every component party of Pakatan is expected to give up a few seats to Muda," he said, reiterating the "big tent" formula advocated by Pakatan, which also comprises DAP, Parti Amanah Negara and Sabah-based Upko.

He said that as of now, PKR is targeting to contest 20 seats but will reduce the number if the meeting with Muda concludes well.

Asked if Pakatan was also in discussion with other opposition parties such as Parti Warisan and Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, Puah said that so far it was only with Muda.

He also refused to comment when asked if he would defend his Bukit Batu seat.

In the last general election in 2018, PKR contested 12 seats and won five. It lost an assemblyman to defection two years later following the Sheraton Move, which also caused a change in the Johor government. It later gained three assemblymen from Amanah.

Puah and state PKR chairman Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh were accompanying their party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on a walkabout programme at Jibril Corner Restaurant in Kelapa Sawit here.

Anwar said his party will be finalising its list of candidates soon for the Johor polls.

The Opposition leader and Port Dickson MP spent about 10mins walking around Kelapa Sawit before checking out the wall mural there.

Meanwhile, in Johor Baru, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the discussion between his party and Pakatan on the possibility of working together in the coming Johor election is still ongoing.

He declined to comment further on whether the party would contest under Pakatan and the distribution of seats for its candidates.

"The outcome of the talks will be announced when the time is right," he told reporters during the party's Listening Tour at Almizan Satay House in Tebrau on Friday (Feb 4).

The party's current priority, said Syed Saddiq, is to reach out to one million voters in Johor within the next two weeks.

"Apart from meeting them face to face, we will also utilise social media platforms to connect with them.

"We want to listen to the problems faced by the people and try to come out with the right solutions."

He cited environmental problems, lack of job opportunities and housing as among the main issues in the state.

"Johor has the highest property overhang in the country and the houses are beyond the reach of average wage earners in the country," he added.