Thursday May 9, 2013

GE13: DAP questions Pakatan’s marginal losses

PETALING JAYA: Although the DAP has accepted the results of the general election, it is questioning the marginal losses suffered by Pakatan Rakyat in 30 parliamentary seats which could have had a bearing on the outcome of the polls.

“By and large, we accept the election results,” said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, adding, however, that he believed there were elements of electoral abuse and fraud in these seats.

“If this (electoral fraud) is proven, then they have to correct this. If Najib loses these 30 seats, he will not have the majority to be prime minister,” said Lim, who defeated former Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman to become Gelang Patah MP.

On Sunday, Barisan Nasional won 133 parliamentary seats in one of the most hotly contested elections to form the Federal Government while Pakatan clinched 89 seats.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has since said that the PKR would not accept the results, calling the process flawed and fraudulent.

Lim was commenting on Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) CEO Wan Saiful Wan Jan's call for all sides to accept the election results although there were issues in the process.

However, Lim denied that there was a contradiction in Pakatan's swearing-in of its state governments in Kelantan, Penang and Selangor, adding that no one there had raised allegations of electoral fraud.

Asked if this went against Anwar's claims of legitimacy, Lim said he was unaware if the PKR leader had made such assertions.

In Johor Baru, Lim told crowds attending a DAP celebratory dinner that Pakatan's main aim would be to step up work in areas where the coalition lost by a slim majority.

Saying that the battle for Putrajaya was not over, he added that Pakatan would register as a proper coalition and that he looked forward to the next general election in which its member parties could contest under one symbol.

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