It may be early days yet to be thinking of the 13th general election, but Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians are already looking ahead to what it would take to put the coalition in the driving seat in Putrajaya.

NONE Bukit Bendera’s Liew Chin Tong said a 10 percent swing in votes to Pakatan would take its current tally of 82 parliamentary seats to more than 130, giving it a simple majority at federal level.

Conversely, a similar swing to Barisan Nasional would increase its seats from 137 now to 180 - giving it back a two-thirds majority in the process.

In the last general election, BN garnered 50.27 percent of the popular votes against Pakatan’s 46.75 percent.

Backing his assertion, the DAP strategist noted that Pakatan won at least 54 parliamentary seats by less than 10 percent in March 2008, while BN won 56 seats with a similar majory.

He stressed that these seats will be crucial in deciding whether Pakatan can topple BN to form the next federal government.

zaid ibrahim book launch nik aziz anwar ibrahim pc 230309 04 PKR coordinator Zaid Ibrahim (right) had earlier stressed that Pakatan must make a breakthrough in Sabah and Sarawak if the coalition wants to capture the federal government. In 2008, BN won all but two seats - one in each state.

Agreeing, Liew said Pakatan must keep up its momentum in the peninsula, while making inroads in Sabah and Sarawak. They collectively account for 56 seats, making up 20 percent of the current 222 federal seats.

“A major vote swing must take place in those two states (although) it is easier said than done. The political dynamics and fundamentals are different there,” he said.

‘Winning strategies required’

PKR election director Saifuddin Nasution is optimistic that Pakatan can better its share of seats in the peninsula, where it obtained 50.4 percent of the popular vote, against BN’s 49.6 percent.

He said this shows that the peninsula is Pakatan’s to lose rather than BN’s to win. In addition, Pakatan has won seven of the nine by-elections held since the general election.

selambau pkr pc 040409 saifuddin nasution However, Saifuddin acknowledged that - despite the favourable voting trend - there are a number of marginal seats in the peninsula that could swing either way.

“We have identified the '50-50 seats' and winnable seats to work out winning strategies to increase our parliamentary tally. A favourable swing of between five and 10 percent can swing the seats to us,” said the Machang MP.

Balik Pulau parliamentarian Yusmadi Yusoff stressed that the performance of Pakatan governments in Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Kelantan will be crucial in pulling in votes.

As such, Pakatan states should implement a common political and socio-economic agenda to enable the people to judge and choose between Pakatan and BN, he said.

“It is a challenge for Pakatan to demonstrate that it is a viable and alternative government-in-waiting by implementing comprehensive, cohesive and uniform agendas for the people. Grassroots sentiments remain the most vital benchmark for success.”

yusmadi yusof Yusmadi, the Penang PKR Youth chief, said Pakatan cannot enter the next general election by calling on the people to vote for a stronger opposition, a strategy that worked well the last time around.

Instead, Pakatan has to present itself as the alternative government. The performance of its state governments and elected representatives will influence voter decisions, he added.