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JOHOR BARU: The People’s Progressive Party will leave the Barisan Nasional if it is not allowed to contest seats it held three decades ago in the general election.
The ultimatum was given by its president Datuk M. Kayveas on the eve of the party’s 54th anniversary.
Kayveas, who is the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, was referring to the clutch of seats it had held in its stronghold of Perak in the 1960s before it joined the coalition.
"All that we are asking for is the return of those seats to us.
"They are four parliamentary seats, 12 state assembly seats, 79 local council seats and the post of the Datuk Bandar of Ipoh.
"These were once held by the PPP," he said.
Today, his parliamentary seat of Taiping is the party’s only seat.
In the past, Kayveas had continually appealed to the BN for a bigger allocation of seats as the seats the PPP had once held were taken away during the party’s turbulent period.
Kayveas, who has helmed the party for 14 years and is credited with bringing it back from the brink of de-registration, said on Friday that he had a hard time responding to calls from his 500,000 members for more seats.
"We do not want to be treated like a step-child in the BN. But this is our stand that must be communicated to the BN leadership.
"We are asking for four parliamentary and 12 state seats. We are willing to settle for less as long as there are additional seats."
Don’t fuss over seat allocation, Najib tells BN components
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Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today asked BN component parties not to make a fuss over seat distribution for the next general election as the issue will be discussed only at the right time.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the Barisan leadership did not make decisions according to component parties’ demands.
“When it comes to seat allocation, we will negotiate when the time is ripe,” he said when responding to the ultimatum by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) that it would leave the Barisan if it was not allowed to contest seats it held three decades ago in the general election.
PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas, who issued the ultimatum, was referring to the clutch of seats the party had held in its stronghold in Perak in the 1960s before it joined the coalition.
The party is asking for four parliamentary seats, 12 state seats, 79 local council seats and the post of the Batuk Bandar of Ipoh.
Najib said decisions on seat distribution are made based on consensus in the Barisan power-sharing spirit and principle.
“This is not the time to make a big fuss over the issue…we actually decide on seat allocation based on consensus, we don’t have additional seats.
“We have to make do with the existing constituencies. Hence, if there are changes to seats that have been allocated to component parties, it must be negotiated among the parties,” said Najib, who is also Barisan deputy chairman.
“We don’t make decisions according to requests of each component party. We decide based on the Barisan principle and spirit,” he said.
On the ultimatum by Kayveas that PPP would leave the Barisan if its request was not met, Najib said: “I don’t think PPP will leave the Barisan.”
Earlier, Najib opened the Pekan Umno delegates conference.
ALI RUSTAM: PPP's threat to leave Barisan tantamounts to insulting coalition
BERNAMA
PENANG, SUN:
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said he had no objection if PPP wants to leave the Barisan. The Melaka Chief Minister said PPP’s ultimatum to leave the Barisan tantamounts to insulting the 14-member coalition.
By issuing the ultimatum, PPP had ignored the spirit and principle of comradeship among Barisan component parties, he said.
“It is akin to an act of sabotage that is unacceptable to the BN.
Component parties can ask for more seats but not by issuing a threat or an ultimatum… you give more seats or not we will leave.
“This is an ultimatum insulting the Barisan. I feel if PPP wants to leave the coalition, I’ve no objection.
“The Taiping seat contested by Kayveas in the last election we can give it to Umno, MCA, Gerakan or any other component party, no problem,” he told reporters after opening the Bayan Baru Umno delegates conference.
Umno VP asks Kayveas to retract his ultimatum
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Vice-President Muhyiddin Yassin has told the Peoples' Progress Party (PPP) chief M. Kayveas to retract his ultimatum that the party be allowed to contest its seats or or it will quit the Barisan Nasional.
