SEREMBAN: Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional members not involved in seat negotiations for the state polls, to be held in six states, should refrain from making any public statement on the matter, says Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
The PKR vice-president said this was to allow their leaders to decide what is best for both sides.
"The Pakatan presidential council has already decided that it is going to be status quo.
"This also means that both Pakatan and Barisan have agreed to defend the seats they won in the last state polls," he said when met at the Kasih Ramadan programme held at the state library here.
Aminuddin, who is also Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar, was asked to comment on a statement by former Negri Umno secretary Mustafa Salim that the party was planning to swap certain seats with Pakatan in the state election.
Citing an example, Mustafa said Umno hoped to contest in Klawang which was currently held by Amanah.
This, he had said, was to allow a potential mentri besar candidate from Umno in the event the Pakatan-Barisan partnership wins the state polls.
Aminuddin said as far as he was concerned, Pakatan would defend all 20 seats it won in the last state polls while Barisan will contest the remaining 16.
"We have to abide by the decision of the leadership. And what is most important is that we must win all 36 seats," he said.
Aminuddin said he also had no knowledge of Umno wanting to contest some of the seats currently held by Pakatan in the state.
"Like I said, those not directly involved in talks on seat-related matters should just refrain from commenting," he said.
He said some grassroots members in Pakatan were also upset with the top leadership's decision that it would be status quo in the state polls but have since accepted it.
"As of now, we do not have any problems at the grassroots level. I hope it will remain like this," he said.
On Saturday, Pakatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Pakatan and Barisan have agreed that parties which won seats during the 14th General Election (GE14) will contest them again in the upcoming elections in the six states.
He said this consensus was agreed upon during preliminary discussions recently on seat allocations by Pakatan and Barisan for the state polls.
