Perikatan almost ready to go but BN-PH still in talks

PETALING JAYA: With the dissolution of six state assemblies expected in June, Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan are scrambling over seat allocations while Perikatan Nasional is close to finalising it.

Perikatan said most seats had been distributed, with only 5% of the “overlapping seats” referred to the coalition’s supreme council.

Talks between Barisan and Pakatan, the unity government partners involved in state elections, are still ongoing.

“Whatever that is agreed at state level will be brought to the leadership for further deliberation,” said Barisan deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

“These agreements will then be harmonised,” said Mohamad, who is also Umno deputy preisdent.Pakatan-held Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Penang along with PAS-held, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu will be going to the polls soon as they did not dissolve their assemblies for the 15th General Election last year.

Another Umno leader from Negri Sembilan said the situation in the state was currently “status quo” although Umno has asked for more seats.

“Barisan holds 16 seats while Pakatan has 20. We have asked for two from Pakatan, so both sides will have 18 seats,” he said.

In Penang, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state Pakatan would meet Umno leaders on the matter next week.

He said the meeting would not involve MCA and MIC, the other Barisan coalition partners in the peninsula.

“Penang Umno made a request for the meeting and a tentative date has been fixed,” he said.

On April 17, Pakatan communications director Fahmi Fadzil said the coalition would announce the outcome of discussions on seat distribution by the end of May.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said it had been agreed that seats won by a certain party would continue to be contested by the same party.

On the other side, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the seat distribution between Bersatu and PAS had mostly been sorted out.

“The seat distribution is now at 95%. There are only a few overlapping claims. We will leave it to the top leadership to decide,” said the Pahang opposition chief.

Overlapping claims were only in Selangor and Negri Sembilan, said Perikatan election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.

“In Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, everything has been decided on,” said the Kedah Mentri Besar.