‘Wan Azizah not involved in seat negotiations’

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was not involved in seat negotiations between PKR and DAP for the Sarawak state election, which resulted in PKR and DAP locking horns in six constituencies.
This, however, contradicts with a statement by party deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali who had previously said that he was given the mandate by Wan Azizah to allow Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian to authorise PKR to contest in DAP's seats.
Soon after news of the dispute over seats emerged, Wan Azizah called for a meeting with DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to iron out the matter.
theSun learnt that despite not being the source of the dispute, Wan Azizah had to assume responsibility as party president.
"It was not Wan Azizah who was involved in negotiating seats with DAP. It was not Wan Azizah who handed PKR's strategic seats to DAP.
"Despite not being the reason for the problem, she had to bear the responsibility," a party insider, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.
The seats which are being contested by the two Pakatan Harapan parties are Batu Kitang, Mulu, Murum, Simanggang, Ngemah and Mambong.
DAP's decision to contest in Batu Kitang was in retaliation to PKR's move of going against the earlier agreement to allocate the other five seats to DAP.
The party insider said initially there were only three seats that were being disputed, namely Murum, Mambong and Mulu.
The insider said an emergency meeting between Wan Azizah, Lim, PKR election directors Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Nurul Izzah Anwar was held in Penang after the dispute surfaced.
However, the meeting could not find a solution to the dispute.
"Why then are the Ngemah and Simanggang seats, which earlier had been agreed should go to DAP, are being contested by PKR? It is hard to find the answer.
"Asking for DAP to hand over the Murum, Mulu or Mambong seats was getting harder following the situation," according to the party insider who added that "broken promises and betrayal" led to disputes over the allocation of seats.