Up to state leaderships to begin talks on seats, Anwar says ahead of polls

The preparation by parties within the coalition government to face the upcoming elections in six states such as seat negotiations and candidacy as well as campaign strategies will be decided on soon, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

However, he said for states that are dominated by certain coalitions such as Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Selangor and Penang, negotiations on the distribution of seats should be initiated by the state leaderships before being brought to the central leadership.

"We discussed earlier that there is no problem (with regard to the distribution of seats in states that are fully controlled by a certain party). Like some states led by Umno, we accept that, and other states led by PH component parties, we also accept.

"I think there is no dispute here, but I leave it to the wisdom of the respective state leaderships who should begin the negotiations in a proper manner, and then present (the results) to the central leadership," he said at a press conference after chairing a Unity Government Leadership Consultative Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur last night.

The almost two-hour meeting was also attended by several key government leaders, among them Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Gabungan Parti Sarawak chief whip Fadillah Yusof and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook.

Six states – Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kelantan, Kedah, and Terengganu – previously agreed to dissolve their respective state assemblies in the last two weeks of June to make way for elections.

Anwar, who is also PH chairman, said although the preparations for the state polls this time mainly involved BN and PH, parties that had branches or movements in peninsular Malaysia were also involved in the discussion as a reflection of the unity and cooperation in the government.

Meanwhile, Anwar said the Unity Government National Convention to be held on May 14 was part of his administration’s efforts to continue fostering a spirit of consensus among the races and regions in this country.

"Our message to the whole country is that this is a unique attempt in our history that is repeating the efforts to create racial and regional consensus which began in the early stages of independence, then in the days of Tunku Abdul Rahman and by Tun Abdul Razak.

"We hope that this attempt will be effective and successful to ensure continuity, and most importantly, the people's agenda can be implemented effectively," he said.