KUCHING – Sarawak’s Pakatan Harapan coalition members have come to a consensus on seat allocations for the 15th general election (GE15) which is expected any time soon.
The three component parties, PKR, DAP and Amanah agreed to the allocation based on the same formula used in the last general election in 2018.
State PH chairman and DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen told reporters yesterday after a meeting earlier with coalition members that PKR has been allotted 15 seats, DAP nine, and Amanah six to contest.
“We held our meeting today, largely touching on the coming general election as well as seat allocation. We also discussed the strategies the coalition will roll out to win the allocated seats in the election,” Chong said.
Chong, who chaired the meeting, pointed out that individual component parties can, on their own, negotiate with local opposition parties on seat allocation to take on the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to avoid multi-cornered fights in the 31 parliamentary seats in the state.
“It is up to the individual party which seats they want to give up or to retain,” Chong added.
According to him, GPS will have a better chance of winning more seats if multi-cornered fights ensue.
“That is why it is important to avoid multi-cornered fights, which tend to split votes with the lion’s share going to GPS,” he said.
He added that it is up to the respective component parties to name their own candidates.
Meanwhile, Chong was re-elected as Sarawak PH chairman for another two-year term, while state PKR chairman Roland Engan and state Amanah chairman Abang Halil Abang Naili were elected as his deputies.
The secretary post went to Senator Alan Ling (DAP), treasurer to Diog ak Dios (PKR), and Youth chief position to Gushi Ardanisah (Amanah).
Pending state assemblyman Violet Yong (DAP) was elected the state coalition’s women’s wing chief, while Abun Sui Anyit (PKR) was appointed as information chief.
The committee members are Japar Suyut (PKR), Ibil Jaya (PKR), Dr Kelvin Yii (DAP), Chiew Chiu Sing (DAP), Alice Lau (DAP), Maxwell Ak Rojis (Amanah), Mohd Zen Peli (Amanah) and Lahaji Lahiya (Amanah).
In the 2018 general election, the then Barisan Nasional coalition won 19 seats out of the 31 parliamentary seats it contested. DAP won six seats out of the nine it contested. PKR contested 15 seats but won only four. Amanah contested six seats but failed to win any.
Two seats went to independents.
The other parties that contested in the general election and failed to win any seats were PAS, Sarawak Star, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru, Parti Bumi Kenyalang, and Peace Party. – The Vibes, September 3, 2022
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