By FMT Staff
KUCHING: The ongoing legal dispute between DAP’s Chong family and PKR will not jeopardise Sarawak Pakatan Rakyat’s aim to effect change in the state.
DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen said the issue between him and PKR adviser Domique Ng will not block coalition’s march towards Putrajaya.
“Whatever our differences, at the end of the day we are moving towards a common goal. We will work together to ensure a change in the government,” he said.
Chong and his father Chong Siew Chiang are embroiled in legal battle with Ng.
Ng is state assemblyman for Padungan and the seat remains a thorny issue in PKR and DAP Sarawak relationship.
Chong, however, declined to delve further into the issue or DAP’s seat allocations, except to say that he is “ready to put that aside” to work towards a common goal.
The Padungan seat is only one of several seats that both DAP and PKR are tugging at.
Aside from Padungan, some of the “controversial” seats both parties are eyeing include Batu Kawah, Kedup, Simanggang, Engkilili and Repok and other mixed constituencies.
Both parties have met three times since early this year to discuss their “overlapping” interests in the seats but have yet to reach an agreement.
PKR is also in negotiations with PAS and SNAP over several rural seats with insignificant opposition presence.
In the 2006 state election DAP and PKR had contested against each other resulting in constituencies like Batu Kawah and Repok going to Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).
DAP currently holds six seats in the 71-member Sarawak State Legislative Assembly while PKR has one.
Two independents -- Gabriel Adit and Johnical Rayong -- who won in the 2006 polls, have joined a new party, Parti Cinta Malaysia, and Barisan Nasional’s SUPP respectively.
Overzealous police
Meanwhile, an exasperated Chong has taken a swipe at the local police’s “overzealousness” when it comes to DAP ceramah.
“If they send as many men and vehicles to fight crimes like those turning up at our functions, I can guarantee not only Sarawak but Malaysia would have a low crime rate,” Chong reportedly told Sarawak Update.
A puzzled Chong said crime cases were escalating in Sarawak and the police should be focusing their energies on combating this.
“But instead they’re busy following DAP. They diligently attend all our functions,” said Chong, referring to the two Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) trucks and more than 10 special branch officers who had recently turned up at a talk on “Land and Rakyat”, which DAP had scheduled last week.
The talk, however, was called off at the last minute after police refused to issue a permit for the programme.
