Opposition parties will remain united in facing Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming general election even though they will not be standing as one coalition based on a common manifesto, a PAS leader vowed today.

PAS central committee member Dr Hatta Ramli said the party's relationship with DAP continues to be strong despite the latter leaving the opposition front, Barisan Alternatif, in 2001.

The coalition was formed together with Keadilan and PRM prior to the 1999 general election and posed a credible enough threat to the BN by reducing the ruling front's popular vote to 54 percent.

Hatta said there is a common understanding between PAS and DAP that each should not be contesting against the other in the general election, which could be held this year, as this will only benefit the BN.

Furthermore, he said, the two parties should be able to cooperate as PAS will be concentrating on the Malay-majority constituencies which are mostly in the rural areas while DAP will be concentrating on the non-Malay constituencies in the urban areas.

Cooperation in many forms

"The cooperation (between PAS and DAP) can come in many forms, and not just by having a common manifesto," he said when asked to comment on DAP's refusal to join the opposition front to face the polls.

Yesterday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had invited the Chinese-majority party to rejoin the BA.

"What is more important is that there is a common understanding that one will not fight against another when election comes," said Hatta, who is also Abdul Hadi's political secretary.

His view was echoed by Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

"Both Keadilan and DAP will continue to work closely especially in seat allocations as we don't want to give BN any advantage," she commented.

The Permatang Pauh MP was also optimistic that there will be no fight for seat allocations between the two parties as both are facing a common enemy and share the intention to bring down the BN via the electoral process.

DAP's pledge

In a statement, DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock pledged the party's cooperation with the BA to ensure a straight fight between the opposition and BN for all seats.

"In order to achieve the objective of ensuring a one-to-one fight (against BN), DAP wrote to the Keadilan president last year and she (Wan Azizah) has agreed to negotiate on the matter," he said.

However, he reiterated that "the question of DAP returning to the BA does not arise anymore".

Meanwhile, DAP deputy chairperson Karpal Singh stressed yet again that "DAP cannot, and will not, under any circumstances, rejoin the opposition coalition as the BA is contaminated irrevocably with PAS' insistence on setting up an Islamic state if it comes to power".

"The DAP is committed to regaining the opposition leader role in Parliament and will strive towards regaining lost ground by having more seats than any other opposition parties in the next general election," said Karpal, who lost the Jelutong parliamentary seat in the 1999 election.