PKR, Muda poised to clash

JOHOR BARU: PKR and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) may be headed for a clash in the Johor state election after they appeared unable to break an impasse in seat negotiations.

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman issued a statement yesterday signalling the potential clash should they fail to come to a consensus.

In response, Johor PKR chief Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh claimed that the fledgling party was eyeing urban and mixed seats, causing talks between them to break down.

Syed Saddiq, however, said Muda was prepared to continue negotiations with PKR.

The Muar MP revealed that a series of talks was conducted officially between the Muda and PKR leadership, but PKR then announced it would contest in 20 seats, which, he said, had ended formal negotiations.

“Muda has put a continuous effort and commitment to avoid any seat clashes with Opposition parties as our main focus is to bring about positive change in Johor.

“Through formal negotiations with DAP and Amanah, Muda has managed to avoid any seat clashes,” he said.

DAP and Parti Amanah Negara are in the Pakatan Harapan coalition, together with PKR and Sabah-based Upko.

Syed Saddiq added that if Muda and PKR could not overcome their differences, his party leadership would hold a special meeting by this weekend to discuss the way forward.

“If the clash of seats between Muda and PKR cannot be avoided, Muda will leave the decision to the people of Johor,” he said.

His party had earlier reached an agreement with Amanah and DAP for Muda to contest in six seats, namely Tenang, Bukit Kepong, Parit Raja, Machap, Puteri Wangsa and Bukit Permai.

He also said Muda would be using its own logo in its electoral debut.

Syed Ibrahim, in an immediate response, said Muda had rejected the three seats offered by PKR.

“We cannot give up seats without taking into consideration our strengths in those areas,” he said in a statement.

He also said PKR had held several “honest and open” discussions on the matter with Muda “in the spirit of being in the Opposition”.

Syed Ibrahim said that besides rejecting the three seats offered, Muda had also “claimed” three other seats.

He said that as a member of Pakatan, PKR believed in friendship without issuing threats.

“This spirit has been there since all Opposition parties united to avoid contesting the same seats for the benefit of the people and country,” he said, adding that this spirit should not be violated with demands.It is learnt that Muda was initially aiming for the Kempas, Gambir and Larkin seats in negotiations with PKR.

However, PKR offered them other seats including Tanjung Surat, Sri Medan and Semarang.

So far, Muda has named its secretary-general Amira Aisya Abd Aziz as its candidate for Puteri Wangsa.

Meanwhile, Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said seat negotiations between PKR and Muda should be done in the spirit of understanding under the Pakatan umbrella.

The Pulai MP added that there was still a lot of time for the two parties to come to an understanding before nomination day on Feb 26.He was speaking to reporters yesterday after his party unveiled its candidates for the Johor polls.

Asked what Pakatan would do if the negotiations failed, Salahuddin, who is defending his Simpang Jeram state seat, said that the outcome of any meetings between the two parties would be discussed by the Pakatan leadership.

The Johor state election, with 56 state seats up for grabs, will be held on March 12.