PKR-Snap in last round seat talks today

PKR and Snap hope to find an amicable solution to the Sarawak state election seat allocation issue in their final round of negotiations today.

This comes amidst strong speculation that Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud will dissolve the state assembly next Monday.

DAP will be excluded from the negotiation as their stand had already been presented to PKR and is waiting for a response from the latter's central leadership.

Talks between PKR and Snap reached a deadlock after the former wanted to contest 52 out of the 71 state seats with Snap aiming for 40.

The issue sparked an exchange of heated words between both sides in the media.

Today's meeting marks the second between PKR and Snap this year following the meeting of all four Sarawak Pakatan component parties on March 6.

At that meeting, they had set tomorrow as the deadline for finalising the seat allocations.

Come what, come may, BN will be challenged

Sarawak PKR election director Nicholas Bawin (left) hoped today's meeting would end in a settlement.

"Whatever decision (reached in the seat negotiations), our move to challenge BN will not be deterred," he said when contacted by Malaysiakini yesterday.

Snap leaders could not be reached for comment.

On the seat negotiation between DAP and PKR, Sarawak DAP chief Wong Ho Leng said the ball is now in PKR's court.

DAP had given its views to the PKR negotiation team. Since they do not have the authority to make any decision, it is now up to the PKR central leadership, he told Malaysiakini over the phone  yesterday.

However, he was not worried that the negotiation may drag on beyond tomorrow's deadline, so long as the negotiation finishes in time for nominations day, the Bukit Assek assemblyperson and Sibu MP added.

Since there is no problem of overlapping seats between DAP and Snap, negotiations between them is unnecessary.