A two-day seminar for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) divisional chiefs opened in Kota Kinabalu today on a high note of confidence that the opposition would topple the Sabah BN government in the next general election.

Several divisional chiefs spoke of the opposition winning two thirds of the state's 60 state and 25 parliamentary seats.

One even asked PKR national advisor Anwar Ibrahim how would he decide on who should head the state government if the majority of seats won were all non Muslim seats.

The former deputy premier, widely tipped to helm the party during its next congress from his wife Dr Wan Azizan Wan Ismail, replied that he would decide on that when the time comes.

The seminar is part of a nation-wide series to prepare the party for the general election, expected to be held soon.

Later, at a press conference, Anwar, flanked by his wife, who is also the MP for Permatang Pauh, and state PKR leaders including Awang Tengah, Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Christina Liew, said he would leave it to the state party leadership on the form of cooperation to forge with other opposition parties like DAP and Pasok.

He said at the national level, the party had no problem working with other parties such as DAP and PAS.

Rampant corruption

To a question, Anwar said he was confident that the party would do well, especially in Sabah, because of what he called rampant corruption, among other things.

Issues the opposition would harp on in the coming elections will be failure of the government to address several critical issues like the illegal immigrants , indigenous land rights, cronyism and favouritism in business and the civil service.

On the police report lodged by state PKR deputy chief Dr Jeffrey Kitingan against Chief Minister Musa Aman on alleged corruption and abuse of power, he described this as a courageous move, adding that it was making Sabahans aware about the extent of corruption in the state.

"Corruption has reached a stage where it is going to be cancerous," Anwar warned.

On PKR's efforts to ensure a free and fair election, he said the party had taken both national and international measures towards this end, including getting some international pressure to ensure that phantom voters were reduced or removed from the electoral rolls.

Anwar said he felt that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was responding positively to such a move.

PKR has also sounded out three possible of the next general election - Nov 15, Dec 15 ,2007 and March 15, 2008