KUALA LUMPUR – PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that his party is open to cooperating with others for the upcoming Johor election but based on the strict condition that DAP must be part of the pact.
This follows statements issued by several Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders indicating their willingness to work with PH for the polls, with PAS supposedly conditioning cooperation on DAP being out of the picture.
Speaking to the press after an event in Seremban, Negri Sembilan today, Anwar said the proposal to sideline DAP cannot be accepted.
“DAP and PKR have been the core opposition parties since the beginning, and we have respectively shown our loyalty. So, I can’t just push them away,” he said.
“If certain parties want to discuss separately with PKR or DAP, we will never stop them. But to give a condition that any cooperation must be without DAP or PKR, that is hard to be accepted.”
Anwar was responding to questions on whether Pakatan Harapan (PH) is open to working with PN in Johor, if any serious negotiations have been initiated, and if PKR would agree with the condition set by certain parties to keep DAP out of the equation.
On Tuesday, Johor Baru Bersatu deputy chief Razrul Anwar Rusli suggested the formation of a Muafakat Rakyat Johor comprising PN and other opposition parties, including PH, Muda, Pejuang and Warisan.
Amanah’s former leadership committee member Datuk Mazlan Aliman similarly mooted the idea, saying the move would give Barisan Nasional a run for its money in the Johor election.
Later the same day, PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad said the Islamist party is open to cooperating with PH, and in particular Amanah, on the condition DAP is not part of it.
Anwar, however, said there has not been any discussion pertaining to the matter, but that the door is still open for negotiations.
“But any demands made must be reasonable. Don’t make excessive demands and show arrogance, or this can never happen. I’m hoping for a good solution. But the issue concerning PN, that is only in the media at the moment,” he said.
Asked on PKR’s decision to use its own logo in the Johor election, Anwar said this is not unprecedented, noting that the opposition has gone down the same route in the past, notably in the 2013 general election and more recently in the Sabah election in 2020.
He dismissed claims that the use of separate logos showed that there is disunity within PH, maintaining that relationship among the three parties remained solid.
Anwar added that among the reasons PKR opted to contest under its own logo was because it was taking into account the sentiments of those living in the rural areas.
“For voters in urban and suburban areas, perhaps it is easier for them to accept changes, but those in the rural areas take time. For us, it is easier to use our logo, as these rural voters can identify it.” – The Vibes, January 29, 2022
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