DAP & PKR - blood brothers? (2)

Three weeks ago I posted an unfinished DAP & PKR - blood brothers?

I hinted at the eventual bloodbath that will be the outcome of an unavoidable fight over seats between the DAP and its so-called ally, PKR.

As I had stated in post Ijok - Quo vadis DAP?, the DAP should carefully rethink whether it's in its own interest to be so close with the PKR. In the same way UMNO is the single greatest undermining factor and thus the real 'enemy' for the MCA, the PKR will be exactly that for the DAP, especially come the next election. There cannot be two tigers on one opposition mountain.

It appear that my fears may be realised sooner than later. Today malaysiakini reported incipient signs of the DAP versus PKR quarrel.

The booty to be fought over? Probably Penang and some parts of Perak. Sabah may also feature in the catty tiger fight.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has been annoyed with PKR vice-president and election bureau head Azmin Ali for announcing yesterday that PKR will be going for 60 parliamentary and 120 state seats in the next general election. Tough for the DAP (or the PKR), the majority of the seats are expected to be in Penang, Selangor and Sabah.

Lim told malaysiakini today, that PKR has made a request to seek a revision of the seat-distribution formula. Lim grumbled:

“There must be sincerity (in the talks), otherwise there won’t be an ideal outcome. I don’t want to engage in this media game, let us (both parties) meet in private. This is the game they (PKR) want to play but I am not interested.”

Actually Lim is correct, that PKR has a notorious track record of pre-empting talks with the DAP by releasing their views to the press rather than discussing those views or desired positions with the DAP in confidence. PKR did the same underhanded and undermining tactics in 2004.

malaysiakini reported Azmin as saying the party hopes to revise the seat-distribution formula which has been used in the past. He said PKR wanted to contest more Malay and Chinese-majority seats, which have been traditionally contested by PAS and DAP respectively.

Fair enough – there’s nothing wrong with a little assertion, for obvious party reasons.

But when none other than Anwar Ibrahim agreed with Azmin, in fact stressing that the previous formula should not be made a 'definite rule' during the seat negotiation, Lim nearly went ballistic. He claimed that Anwar said a different thing to the DAP in the past.

Lim said: “Anwar told DAP leaders several times that the Chinese-majority seats will be contested by the DAP. He said it not only to me, but to DAP leaders - for example, at the luncheon address (at the DAP retreat recently) and again, openly during the Machap by-election campaign.”

Lim, you believe him!?! – why then, I believe in the tooth fairy as well.

Lim was also upset that Azmin said the PKR-DAP seat talks were scheduled to start this week. He nearly blew his top, but being Lim KS’s son, he restrained himself, hanging on his whatever, while slowly releasing his breath. He said:

“That is news to me, so far I have not heard anything, nothing so far. If there is communication (with the DAP), it would have come from Anwar. I don’t think Azmin has ever communicated with any of the DAP leaders because they would have informed me.”

Lim, haven't you ever heard of being presented with a fait accompli? If the DAP doesn’t attend then your party would be the one not demonstrating cooperation or good faith. Your party becomes the culprit, but not PKR even though it elects to conduct inter-party talks in a pre-emptive manner and via the media.

But the two opposition tigers must now decide who rules the mountain.