Opposition plans straight fights in Penang

By Malaysiakini.com
Jan 9, 08 4:23pm

Opposition parties DAP and PKR today presented a united front in announcing their battle plan to wrest Penang from Barisan Nasional in the coming general election.

Seat arrangements agreed and sealed by the two parties would ensure that BN would face only straight fights in Penang.

Under the agreed arrangements, DAP - who for long have aspired to rule Penang - will contest seven out of 13 parliamentary seats and 19 out of 40 state seats in the next general election.

PKR and the other opposition party PAS will be looking at negotiating for the remaining seats.

In a press conference held in Penang this morning, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said both his party and PKR reached the agreement not to contest for the same seats following their meeting on Monday.

PKR’s de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim also told the same press conference that his party will now have to finalise the allocation for the remaining seats with PAS, adding that an announcement on the matter will be made on a later date.

Dividing the battlefront

The deal between the parties also allowed DAP to contest in the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat while PKR would contest in the Bukit Tambun state seat which falls under the Batu Kawan constituency.

The Batu Kawan seat has long been a thorn between DAP and PKR. In 2004 both the parties vied for this seat, resulting in the opposition vote being split and the BN candidate benefiting from it.

In 2004, there were four three-cornered fights between DAP, PKR and BN, including the Batu Kawan seat. Other seats were all state seats - Bukit Tambun, Bagan Dalam and Sungai Pinang, all won by the BN.

The latest agreement would also result in DAP contesting in north area of the island in predominantly Chinese-dominated seats while leaving PKR and PAS to concentrate on the Malay-majority seats in the south west of the island.

The plan would also naturally mean that DAP would be going to battle against MCA and Gerakan while the PKR/PAS combination will take on Umno.

The press conference this morning was also attended by DAP’s veteran leader Lim Kit Siang, PKR’s secretary general Khalid Ibrahim. The respective parties state leaders - DAP’s Chow Kon Yeow and PKR’s Zahrain Mohamed Hashim - were also present.

The DAP seats

In a statement later Khalid said that the agreement between PKR and DAP can be pivotal in breaking the BN’s hegemony in the state.

“PKR will cooperate with all parties who are committed in changing the political landscape in Malaysia through democratic means to ensure a clean and efficient administration,” he said.

For the record, the parliamentary seats to be contested by DAP in Penang are Bagan, Bukit Mertajam, Batu Kawan, Bukit Bendera, Tanjong, Jelutong and Bukit Gelugor.

The state seats given to DAP in Penang are Sungai Puyu, Bagan Jermal, Bagan Dalam, Berapit, Padang Lalang, Perai, Jawi, Tanjong Bunga, Air Putih, Pulau Tikus, Padang Kota, Pengkalan Kota, Komtar, Datok Keramat, Sungai Pinang, Batu Lanchang, Seri Delima, Air Itam and Paya Terubong.

At present, DAP has four parliamentary seats - Bagan, Bukit Mertajam, Tanjong and Bukit Gelugor - and one state seat, Sungai Puyu in Penang. PKR has one parliamentary seat in Permatang Pauh. PAS meanwhile won the Permatang Pasir state seat.