KUANTAN: Discussions on seat distribution among unity government component parties for the 16th General Election (GE16) must be done internally and not announced openly.
Pahang DAP chairman Datuk Leong Ngah Ngah described all the component parties in the Madani government as "one big family" and that discussions on seats had to be done behind closed doors.
"Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) are one family, so any talk about seat allocation, distribution or swapping of seats has to be done internally. Do not make any request (concerning seat allocation) in public, as it might cause cracks.
"Any discussion concerning GE16 has to be done with all the parties in the unity government at both the national and state levels. If there is any proposal or request, then it could be studied and discussed internally.
"I believe that making a request outside (in public) is not good and might not be well accepted by the members (of the unity government parties) as there might be various assumptions. Talks on GE16 seats can be resolved internally," he said when contacted today.
Leong was commenting on the request by Bentong Umno division acting chief Datuk Seri Mohamad Zaini Salleh for the Ketari state seat to be given to Umno to contest in GE16.
Zaini, in his speech during the Bentong Umno division delegates meeting yesterday, said Umno narrowly lost the Malay-majority Ketari state seat in the 15th General Election (GE15).
The seat is currently held by DAP's Thomas Su Keong Siong.
He was reported saying the division would submit an official request to the BN leadership at federal and state levels for Umno to contest Ketari in GE16.
Meanwhile, Su described Zaini's request as uncalled for as parties in the unity government were supposed to discuss seats currently held by Perikatan Nasional (PN).
"The focus has to be winning constituencies held by PN and not battling among ourselves in the unity government.
"Let the winner (from the unity government) stay while we focus on seats won by the PN in Pahang," he said when contacted.
In GE15, Su won the Ketari seat with a 120-vote majority in a three-cornered fight against Umno's Datuk Amizar Abu Adam, who is now elected as the Pelangai state assemblyman, and PN's William Tan.
Gerakan, which previously contested Ketari under the BN banner, held the seat since 1995 before DAP wrestled it in 2013.
Last month, BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the BN and PH partnership would continue in GE16 as long as PH does not contest in constituencies where BN fields its candidate and BN does not contest in their constituencies.