Let’s stop crying over spilled milk, Pua urges DAP, PKR

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Senior DAP federal lawmaker Tony Pua today urged his party colleagues and comrades in PKR to move on from their squabble over Sarawak seats and focus their attention instead on fighting Barisan Nasional (BN) in the polls.

In a statement, the Petaling Jaya Utara MP pointed out that the “milk has been spilled” and said although it was regrettable that both parties were now fighting each other in six seats, they must remember that their common enemy is BN.

“The multi-cornered fights are certainly regrettable. However the milk has been spilled and all parties should move forward with the campaign against BN and not be bogged down by internal dispute on the six seats,” he said.

“We have 10 full days of campaigning to go and it will be best to focus our guns on BN,” he added.

Pua responding to a statement by Penang PKR chairman Datuk Mansor Othman yesterday regarding seat negotiations between PKR and DAP, which he said contained inaccurate facts.

He rebutted Mansor’s claim that PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali had continuously engaged DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng on the disputed five seats in Sarawak.

“Lim only received a call from Azmin the Sunday night before nomination was to be carried out the next morning,” Pua explained.

He also questioned the purpose of both parties spending RM108,000 to conduct surveys on the seats in dispute when PKR did not abide by the outcome.

The surveys by Merdeka Center were reportedly conducted to measure public support for either of the two parties to aid seat distribution.

“It is also necessary to set the record straight that Azmin only asked to take three additional seats from us — Mulu, Murum and Mambong,” Pua added.

“Hence we were shocked when PKR fielded candidates in five seats including Simanggang and Ngemah,” he added.

As PKR fielded candidates in all the five disputed seats, causing three corner fights with BN, DAP retaliated on nomination day by fielding their own candidate in the Batu Kitang state seat, which they earlier agreed to concede to PKR.

PKR’s Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin yesterday insisted that PKR will continue campaigning in all the seats despite DAP’s earlier offer that it would stop campaigning in Batu Kitang if PKR stops campaigning in the five seats.