STAR/SAPP to withhold support a 'non-issue' to Pakatan

Tian Chua (right) says both STAR and SAPP had asked for 35-40 seats, which is impossible for Pakatan to allocate. (Picture by Hussein Shaharuddin/The Mole) KUALA LUMPUR: A Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader said the threat by local-based Sabah opposition parties to withhold their support for Pakatan Rakyat is not an issue for his party of the Pakatan Rakyat. PKR vice-president Tian Chua said it was State Reform Party (STAR) chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee who had opted out. Speaking to The Mole, Tian Chua said: “We have no issue with their decision. They had opted out...if everyone was willing to compromise it would have been ‘ok’.” Tian Chua was commenting on a statement made by Jeffrey and Yong who had threatened to withhold their support for Pakatan Rakyat following the party’s plan to go alone in Sabah. Jeffrey said the announcement by opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was insulting while Yong said that SAPP was prepared to face the general election on its own. “They have no respect for our local parties. How do you expect them to respect Sabah rights and autonomy when they can't even respect us?” Jeffrey was quoted saying. On March 26, Anwar was reported by The Borneo Post as saying that Pakatan Rakyat’s focus is now to solidify its agendas in Sabah together with its allies, the Pertubuhan Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPPS) and the Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS). Anwar was quoted as saying, “Our meeting today is to solidify our stand and agendas in Sabah, all three member parties and our alliances APS and PPPS. There are no other parties, many of their statements conflicted with our stand in Pakatan so we will continue with our agendas for change.” Tian Chua said both STAR and SAPP leaders had asked Pakatan for 35-40 seats to contest in the next general election making it impossible to meet their demands. “How to work with them? In that case we (Pakatan Rakyat) have to sacrifice our seats in order for them to have the majority seats.” “Our proposal is to make it reasonable that all three parties alongside Sabah opposition parties take 10 seats each in both parliamentary and state seats, but they (Jeffrey and Yong) did not agree,” he said.