Pakatan capable of forming Perak govt

Source : Free Malaysia Today BY Athi Shankar on 11 March 2013

A DAP leader feels that Pakatan can capture at least 42 state seats to form the next state government.

IPOH: Pakatan Rakyat can win 38 to 42 state seats to form the next Perak government, declared DAP’s Tronoh assemblyman V Sivakumar.The former Perak State Legislative Assembly Speaker said based on reliable intelligence information, Pakatan was on the verge forming the state government with a two-thirds majoriy in the state’s 59-seat legislature.Pakatan allies – DAP, PAS and PKR – mustered only 31 state seats against Barisan Nasional’s 28 seats in the 2008 general election.

The narrow Pakatan win, he said, had enabled BN to stage a coup via defections to capture the state government in early 2009.Pakatan lost the state government when PKR assemblymen Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi of Behrang and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu of Changkat Jering, and DAP Jelapang representative Hee Yit Foong defected and declared themselves as BN-friendly independents.

A year later, DAP’s Malim Nawar assemblyman Keshvinder Singh followed suit. Sivakumar said people in Perak were still bitter with how BN’s took over the state.

He said issues like corruption and abuses of power would be the main reason behind the forecasted massive vote swing towards Pakatan.

“If we win with two-thirds, then we will see what BN is going to do,” he told a fund-raising dinner themed “Matram Nite – Dine With V Sivakumar” held here.

DAP’s Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyman Nga Kor Min, Beruas MP and Sitiawan assemblyman Ngeh Koo Ham, and Buntong assemblyman A Siva Subramaniam, and PAS leaders Nizar Jamaluddin and Husam Musa were all present.

Sivakumar said Pakatan was confident that it could garner some 85% of ethnic Chinese voters, not less than 60% Indian votes and some 40% Malays not only in Perak, but across the Peninsula.

He said Ngeh tweeted to condemn Gerakan deputy president Chang Ko Youn for trying to fish Indian votes by giving RM300, lots of beer and wine during a dinner on March 2 in Pantai Remis.

Ngeh had also slammed Chang for showing disrespect to Indian women by offering alcohol drinks even for ladies at a restaurant.

“Ngeh did not insult Indians. He was actually telling BN leaders not to insult Indians,” clarified Sivakumar.

Ngeh tweeted on March 3 that “for too long Beruas Indians have been cheated of their votes by BN’s sarees, Milo, mutton curry & beers”.

His tweet drew flaks from BN leaders including Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir and his special adviser S Veerasingam, claiming Ngeh had insulted Indians.

Last Thursday, a group of MIC members held a protest outside Perak DAP office here to demand an apology from Ngeh.