SHAH ALAM: Pakatan Harapan is firm in its decision against cooperating with Perikatan National in the 15th General Election, says Anthony Loke.
The DAP secretary-general also reiterated there were no discussions between Pakatan and parties from Perikatan.
“As for Pakatan we are clear, we have no negotiations with Perikatan,” said Loke, who is also Pakatan chief whip coordinator.
Loke, speaking during a press conference after the party’ special congress yesterday, was responding to a question on whether there were chances for a potential tie-up between Pakatan and Bersatu or Perikatan.
On a separate note, he said, talks on seat allocations in Pakatan were currently underway and they were hoping to conclude negotiations by the end of the month.
The DAP congress, which is the last to be held before GE15, saw delegates voting in favour of proposed amendments to the party’s constitution that will see elected representatives having to comply with party decisions.
The amendments, among others, state that subject to the approval of the central executive committee (CEC), any party member who is an elected representative of the Dewan Rakyat, a senator appointed to the Dewan Negara, or an elected representative of any state assembly, will cease to be a member if they do not comply with party orders.
Loke said an application would be filed to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) as soon as possible.
“We hope ROS will give its approval as soon as possible so that we can implement the amendments by GE15,” he said.
He said the amendment to DAP’s party constitution was needed to plug the loopholes of the constitutional amendments to the anti-party hopping law which did not cover lawmakers who were sacked.
According to the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) on anti-party hopping passed in the Dewan Rakyat in July, MPs who defect from the party they represented as election candidates, or those who became independents, would have to vacate their parliamentary seats.
However, MPs sacked by their party would not lose their seats and MPs who voted against their party’s wishes in Parliament would not be affected.
Loke urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob not to dissolve Parliament nor call for elections during the monsoon season.
